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Case Study on Distributed Generation for Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage
Integration

Conference Paper · September 2014

DOI: 10.1109/TDC-LA.2014.6955252

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8 authors, including:

Fabiano Araujo Santos Ferronato Alexandre Rasi Aoki

Exati Tecnologia Universidade Federal do Paraná
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 Case Study on Distributed Generation for Electric
Vehicle and Energy Storage Integration
Fabiano A. S. Ferronato, Alexandre R. Aoki,
Alexandre G. Fonseca, Felipe Heuer, Luciano C.
Siebert, Rodrigo J. Riella,
LACTEC – Institute of Technology for Development
Curitiba, Brazil
fabiano.ferronato@lactec.org.br
Abstract— This paper presents an integrated system of
photovoltaic (PV), energy storage and a charging station for an
electric vehicle (EV). The operation mode of the integrated system
is controlled by an algorithm which is based on a new Brazilian
tariff supported on different prices depending on the hour and the
day of the week. It will be also presented a panorama of the
distributed generation in Brazil, and the challenges faced during
the project and construction of this system.
Index Terms—Photovoltaic, Charging Station, Control
Algorithm, Distributed Generation, Electric Vehicle, Energy
Storage.
I. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, electrical power systems have grown in
complexity due to the increasing search for greater reliability,
security, efficiency and sustainability. In the meantime, there is
also an increasing demand for electricity by end consumers. To
face these challenges, the power sector has sought on
information technology (IT), telecommunications and sensing
tools to modernize and automate the grid aiming to greater
reliability and efficiency.
The need for smart grid implementation in Brazil is driven
by both the growth of energy demand due to economy growth
and the Brazilian hydrothermal power sources. While Brazil
requires huge expansion in generation and other infrastructure,
it faces high economic costs and environmental concerns.
Seeking to encourage energy consumption in times of low
demand (valley) the Brazilian government instituted in the form
of the normative resolution 479 of 2012, the White tariff, which
allows time-of-use billing for residential customers.
The insertion of distributed generation (DG) was established
in 2012 with the Normative Resolution 482 [1]. Distributed
generators must comply with the procedures presented in
PRODIST documents [1] to connect to the distribution grid and
to sell energy to power utilities.
This paper aims to present the development of a grid-connect
DG system with energy storage applied to smart grids, with
focus on the characteristics and regulations of the Brazilian
electrical power system. The system contains an AC power
output for priority loads which remains energized even in the
event of faults on the grid. An electric vehicle (EV) was used as
a priority load.
Fernanda Particelli
Light SESA
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Thelma S. P. Fernandes
UFPR – Universidade Federal do Paraná
Curitiba, Brazil
The control algorithm of the system that will manage the
energy generated, stored or exported to the grid will also be
presented. The decision whether to use energy locally, export or
store considers energy price variations from a given time-of-use
tariff, the cost and life cycle of the batteries, the State of Charge
(SoC) of the EV, user settings and the power utility settings.
In [3] a methodology to control the stored energy to reduce
operational costs in the long term is presented. The operational
cost is modeled as a convex function of instantaneous total
power consumption to reflect the fact that each additional Watt
of power needed to serve power demands becomes more
expensive as the total power demand increases. [4] presents a
policy to storage and energy consumption for end users
considering price variations. The policy problem is formulated
minimizing the cost of energy storage purchases subject to both
user demands and prices as a Markov Decision Process and
show that the optimal policy has a threshold structure. In [5]
several methods used to control energy storage considering the
intermittent renewable power generation are presented. A low
complexity algorithm for demand response with energy storage
management was developed in [6] solving a small convex
optimization problem with 6 variables and 6 linear constraints
every time for decision making, achieving near-optimal
performance and explicitly computing the required energy
storage size
This work is part of the Smart Grid R&D Program of Light,
the power utility of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It aims at
implementing new automation, telecommunication and
metering technologies, covering from the distribution networks
to inside customers’ home. Within the Smart Grid program
smart meters, street lighting meters, smart plugs, displays,
gateways, terminal charge for EVs, digital certification, an
energy balance system and a measurement management system
were developed.
II. SCENARIO FOR THE INTEGRATION OF DISTRIBUTED
GENERATION IN BRAZIL
As in [7], Brazil currently has an installed capacity of 4.95
MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, which corresponds to
0.004% of its total installed capacity. This paper describes a
30.36 kWp PV system, the largest among PV installation in
southern Brazil and the 7th largest in Brazil. This survey takes
into account only PV projects registered in the National Electric
Energy Agency (ANEEL) of Brazil until January 2014.
However, the system itself is not yet registered due to the need
to conclude formal procedures for the inclusion of the system in
the database.
Since 2010 the Brazilian National Electric Energy Agency
has been studying proposals to reduce barriers to integrate DG
in distribution systems. In April 2012, as a result of these studies
and discussions, the normative Resolution 482 was published,
which establishes the conditions for access of DG up to 1 MW
in distribution systems and also the net metering billing system,
in which the active power generated by a consumer unit
compensates for the use of this energy in other periods (the
credits expire every 36 months) [1]. This compensation system
must be performed by time of use when the client uses time of
use tariffs. The net metering system does not reward the
customer directly; however, the credits generated will be used to
offset the consumption of other consumer units of the same
holder.
According to Normative Resolution 482, all power utilities
must formulate or review technical standards to address the
connection procedures of DG up to 1 MW in distribution
systems. The power utility of the state of Paraná (southern
Brazil), Copel, formulated the NTC 90510, which states that DG
up to 75kWp must be connected to the low voltage, with visible
disconnection switches and circuit breakers [8]. Adjustments to
grid and 34.5/13.8 kV substations protection system are not
requested when the installed capacity does not surplus 40% of
the feeder capacity in light load platform. Adjustments to
69/138kV substations are not required if the installed capacity
does no surplus 20 % of the feeder capacity in light load
platform. The power factor should be at least 0.92 at the
connection point.
Another point that may ultimately encourage customer to
invest on DG is the recent application of differential rates for
residential customers. In Brazil, as provided in [9], low voltage
consumers up to 400V may subscribe to use the White Tariff.
This new pricing model provides different energy prices
according to the time of use. In three hours considered cutting
edge (peak) by the local utility and the adjacent two hours to
these, the fare will be more expensive than conventional,
whereas in the remaining hours of the day the fare will be
cheaper, thus stimulating consumption outside of peak hours for
distribution system.
III. DEVELOPED SYSTEM
A. Assumptions and challenges
The pilot project was developed in order to implement a DG
system and an energy storage system which can coordinate
energy flow according to time-of-use tariffs.
One of the premises of the system was the integration of an
EV, allowing its recharge via the PV system, storage system or
the grid.
Various locations were studied for the installation, aiming to
consider the possibility of using the system for demonstrative
purposes as well to reduce the construction civil works and to
test the developed functionalities, which will be detailed in
Section IV.
As a result of these considerations, the site for installation of
the PV panels was defined as the covering of an existing parking
lot, replacing the old roof in order to become a Building
Integrated Photovoltaic System (BIPV). The parking is located
inside the facilities of LACTEC, the research institute
responsible for the system development, located at latitude 25º
27'02, 62'' south, longitude 49 ° 14'11 .98'' west and 904m
altitude, in Curitiba, southern Brazil.
By using the existing metal structure to mount the panels, the
original tilt of 7º and the orientation were maintained. The
orientation of both structures is not north, the “optimal”
condition for Curitiba. Even though the installation does not
represent an optimal orientation for energy generation, this
arrangement has been chosen to represent a real case of
integration of PV generation in urban areas.
The system connection is expected to be made in a low
voltage panel of one of the buildings of LACTEC. A power
quality analyzer has been connected to the power input of this
building and its demand has been monitored for 35 days. An
average demand of 28.7 kW, with peaks up to 54 kW was
measured, showing a compatible demand with the installed
capacity of the photovoltaic generation, allowing the test of the
control algorithm.
B. System characteristics
The PV system consists of 132 panels with 230 Wp
manufactured by WSolar, totaling 30.36 kWp of installed
power. The electrical schematic is shown in Fig. 3.
These panels are integrated to a 24 lead-acid battery bank
Moura Clean 220Ah / 12V connected in six parallel groups.
Each one of these groups has 4 series batteries, reaching an
expected voltage of 48 V each group. The total storage capacity
is 63.36 kWh. The output voltage integration to the DC bus is
made by 9 Outback FLEXmax 80 charge controllers with
maximum power point tracking (MPPT) function.
Nine Outback GVFX3648LA frequency inverters with 3.6
kVA of nominal power each transform the continuous voltage
from the DC bus to alternating voltage, thus allowing the system
to export and import energy with the grid. Each inverter is
synchronized individually with the electric grid, three for each
phase, characterizing a tri-phase connection between the system
and the grid.
The Outback system, composed by the nine inverters and
nine charge controllers is divided in three groups, which each
one has three inverters and three charge controllers. Each
equipment group is connected to a communication network by
an Outback HUB10. A ModBus interface hardware (Outback
AXS Port) is connected as well to the hub, allowing an external
controller to access and modify the equipment’s set points.
Fig. 1 shows a picture of the equipment room.

Fig. 1. Frequency Inverters Set (above), Charge Controllers (middle, in black)
and batteries (below); between then, Mate 3 Display (white) and HUB10.
A control algorithm will be implemented inside an industrial
computer that will communicate with the AXS Port device. The
system can be manually operated as well by using the Outback
MATE3 terminal attached to the hub.
An EV charging station has been developed by LACTEC
and it has been connected to one of the inverters output as a
priority load. The connection as a priority load allows the
charging station to be supplied by the DC bus (battery banks /
PV) or by the AC grid. The charging station has been developed
as part of this research program, and it uses digital identification
via an RFID keychain to enable the recharge. The charging
station allows any EV to make a slow recharge under 127V in
alternating voltage.
A vehicle from Mitsubishi (i-MIEV) with a battery storage
capacity of 16 kWh was as well acquired within the project. Its
recharge is made under a constant power of 1 kW making a full
recharge possible in 16 hours. The car’s display system has been
integrated with the platform developed in the LIGHT Smart Grid
program, enabling a real-time visualization of the recharging
expenses and its integration with the utility billing system.
Fig. 2 shows the vehicle connected to the recharging station.
Fig. 2. Electric Vehicle connected to the charging station
The system’s connection to the grid will be made inside a
low voltage panel located under the connection point with the
utility’s transformer. The system is still not yet grid-connected
due to the DG access-to-grid procedures that are still in progress.
However, some commissioning tests of the equipment and
battery discharge have been performed with the system in
islanded operation. Fig. 3 provides a complete schematic of the
system electrical installation.
Fig. 4 shows the system’s communication architecture. The
control can be performed through the MATE3 (locally setting
the equipment presented in Fig. 1), or remote controlled through
an Ethernet connection on the AXS Port.
IV. CONTROL ALGORITHM
In order to make the system has a smart operation regarding
the different tariff values involved, a control algorithm is
purposed.
This algorithm has to take into consideration the
equipment’s status and also the grid status to make a decision
based on the lower economical cost. The code will be
implemented in an embedded board PCM-9375 manufactured
by Advantech, which will be connected to the AXS port. The
AXS port interface allows other devices connected to it to
acquire information of the Outback equipment and also change
its set points.
The system’s basic operation modes of the system will be
divided in three:
 Mode 1: Energy Export (selling to utility);
 Mode 2: Energy Storage (battery charging);
 Mode 3: Priority Load (EV charging).
In Mode 1, the PV panels and/or the energy stored in the
batteries are exported to grid. The battery discharge only
happens if there is economic viability between battery cycling
and tariff price. This calculation for battery life cycle is made
using the methodology presented in [10]. Its result in $/KWh
will be compared with tariff prices. The control of the exported
energy is made by changing the discharge voltage set point of
the charge controllers and the selling voltage set point of the
inverters. When it is desired to discharge the batteries and export
its energy to the grid, the inverter selling voltage set point is set
to a value that is lower than the battery’s current voltage.
In Mode 2, the batteries are charged by the PV panels and/or
grid. If there is no energy being generated (cloudy sky, for
example), and tariff cost is low, the batteries are charged from
grid. In order to control the battery recharge by the grid, the
control algorithm changes the inverter’s voltage set point for
battery recharging. When it is desired to recharge the battery, the
set point value is set to the batteries floating voltage. When it is
not desired to recharge them, the set point is lower than the
current voltage of the batteries.
In Mode 3, a load (EV) is connected into the Inverter’s
Priority Load output. This load is fed at the moment it is
connected to the EV’s charging station. The algorithm decides
the most economical way to provide energy to the vehicle. In
cases which the battery is fully charged, the tariff price is
analyzed in order to decide which way is the most economical.
 Utility’s Tri-phase power
electronic Utility’s electric
transformer
9 charge controllers with 48V meter grid
300 kVA
MPPT feature 9 frequency inverters A B C

DC AC
63 A 40 A
160 A AC HOT IN A B C
220 V 13800 V

DC DC A
9 surge protectors A B C
AC HOT OUT

132 photovoltaic panels 40 A

(230 Wp each)
630 A

24 batteries x 220 Ah
EV charger

AC loads

Equipment room Distribution panel

Fig. 3. DG system installation and grid connection

Fig. 4. Data Communication Architecture

Load system real-time
parameters:

Start  PV Generation capacity

 Load parameters;
 Battery Level;
 Tariff type
Yes

Is the EV charging?

No
Load battery
constant specs

No
No
Is the grid on? Is the grid on?

Yes Yes

Yes Yes
Is the battery Is the battery
charged? charged?

No
No

No No Yes
Is the tariff low? Is the tariff low? Is the tariff low?

Yes No
Yes

Is the PV generation Yes

capacity low?

No

Inverter allows the

Inverter allows the
system to sell energy Inverter allows the EV charged by the grid and EV charged EV charged by the grid and EV charged by
system to sell energy PV charges the Grid charges the PV charges the
from the batteries to system to sell energy photovoltaics (if possible) by the photovoltaics (if possible) the battery if
from the photovoltaics battery battery battery if possible
the grid if there is to the grid combined battery combined possible
to the grid (Mode 2) (Mode 2) (Mode 2)
economic viability (Mode 1) (Mode 3) (Mode 3) (Mode 3) (Mode 3)
(Mode 1)
(Mode 1)

Fig. 5. System's operation modes


V. OPERATION TEST RESULTS
Once that the algorithm has been implemented and
communication tests were made, the functionality of the
system has been tested.
A test has been performed using the software’s
functionalities. For this test, only the third group of inverters
was controlled, the other two groups were disconnected.
Current, voltage, and scenario information were acquired for
the phase A in order to analyze the system operation. Fig. 6
shows the system currents during the operation test. I_PV
refers to the direct current coming from the photovoltaics and
entering the charge controller. I_EV is the root mean square
(RMS) current value that feeds the electric vehicle charging
station, and I_Grid is the RMS current that comes or goes to
Fig. 6. Currents during the operation test
Fig. 7. Voltages during the operation test
The scenario changes shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are
described in Table I.
The test starts in the condition where the battery is
charged, the EV is disconnected, the grid in connected and
synchronized to the inverters and the tariff is forced low by
software. In this condition, following the software flowchart,
it operates in mode 3. This condition can be confirmed by the
the grid. Positive values mean that the DG system is exporting
energy, while negative values means that the system is
consuming energy from the utility.
Fig. 7 shows the system voltages during the test.
InvA_V_In is the RMS voltage measured at the “AC Hot In”
borne (grid voltage), CCA_V_PV is the direct voltage from
the photovoltaics, measured at the charge controller input, and
CCA_V_Batt is the direct voltage measured at the output of
the charge controller which is a common value for the voltage
at the DC bus between battery, charge controller output and
inverter input.
For these two figures, the vertical bars represent a change
in the operation scenario.
current chart: at this moment, the grid and PV currents are
positive, while the EV current is zero (the current spikes are
result of the measuring uncertainty of the equipment).
 TABLE I VI. CONCLUSION
SCENARIOS FOR FIG. 6 AND FIG. 7
Time Mode Scenario description Utility tariff This paper presented the implementation of a PV system
14:24 – 14:30 1 PV exporting energy to the grid Low with battery storage, as well as the development of a control
EV charged by grid and Low algorithm focused on the optimal use of these assets in a smart
14:30 – 15:05 3
photovoltaics grid environment. The system was developed considered the
EV charged by battery (grid High Brazilian DG standards and tariffs.
15:05 – 15:08 3
connected)
The developed control algorithm shows a simple way to
EV charged by battery (grid High
15:08 – 15:09 3 optimize DG use on a smart grid environment. The authors
disconnected)
EV charged by battery (grid High believe that this project contributes to the technology
15:09 – 15:11 3 integration into the Brazilian electric grid, and also
connected)
15:11 – 15:11 3
EV charged by battery (grid High encourages other similar implementations by sharing our
disconnected) experience acquired with the design and construction of this
EV charged by battery (grid High system.
15:11 – 15:12 3
connected)
EV charged by battery (grid High ACKNOWLEDGMENT
15:12 – 15:12 3
disconnected)
EV charged by battery (grid High The authors acknowledge the support of Light SESA
15:12 – 15:13 3
connected) through the Light Smart Grid Program.
EV charged by battery (grid High
15:13 – 15:13 3
disconnected) REFERENCES
EV charged by battery (grid High
15:13 – 15:15 3 [1] Brazilian Energy Agency (ANEEL), Resolução Normativa n°
connected)
482, 2012.
EV charged by grid and Low
15:15 – 15:26 3 [2] Brazilian Energy Agency (ANEEL), Procedimentos de
photovoltaics
15:26 – 15:44 1 PV exporting energy to the grid Low Distribuição de Energia Elétrica no Sistema Elétrico Nacional,
15:44 – 15:45 2 PV charging the battery Low 2012.
15:45 – 15:48 1 PV exporting energy to the grid Low [3] I. Koutsopoulos, V. Hatzi, and L. Tassiulas, "Optimal energy
storage control policies for the smart power grid." Smart Grid
At 14:30, the vehicle is connected to the charging station. Communications (SmartGridComm), 2011 IEEE International
At this point, the software change the operating state of the Conference on. IEEE, 2011.
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combined to charge the EV. It can be noticed because the EV storage under price fluctuations." ENERGY 2011, The First
charge current is about 7A under 127V, while the grid current International Conference on Smart Grids, Green
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Technologies (ISGT), 2012 IEEE PES. IEEE, 2012.
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ceasing the energy export.
At 15:44 the grid switch is disconnected, changing the
operation mode to battery recharging. At this moment, the
battery is considered recharged (CCA_V_BATT > 53V), so
there is no energy flow from the PV to the battery. Also at this
moment, the PV voltage rises to its open circuit voltage.
At 15:46 the grid switch is reconnected, switching the
operation mode to energy export.

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