Towards a Cleaner Environment: Smart Grid Management in the Presence of Electric Vehiecles, Renewable Energy Sources, and Storage

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Renewable energy is one of the leading technologies used to fight climate change. To transition to a cleaner economy and reduce GHG emissions, Canada has set a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by updating infrastructure and investing in renewable energy generation. A significant challenge with renewable energies, such as solar and wind power, is the lack of continuous energy production. Therefore, smart grids require storage capacity, which can be obtained from batteries. Electric vehicles (EVs) are an alternative source to ensure a continuous distribution operation: because EVs mostly have low utilization rates, the stored energy could be fed back to the grid to support distribution services during peak demand times. Accumulated EVs storage capacity has been estimated to reach 7 TWh by 2030. However, expansive growth in EV adoption presents challenges, such as scheduling energy injection from batteries into the grid and electricity consumption while accounting for users' energy costs and sustainability metrics. Consequently, this project aims to design and develop cutting-edge data analytics for managing smart grids, improving demand response actions, and reducing GHG emissions by leveraging renewable energy sources and EVs. The components of this proposed research are i) Forecast energy consumption, renewable generation, and injection of stored energy into the grid. ii) Target users for Demand-Response (DR) by customer clustering and characterization and develop a framework for pricing strategy to incentivize energy savings. Develop a green index that assigns a score to the consumer consumption profile concerning its accordance with the utility policy for sustainability. iii) Support peak demand and mitigate the volatility of renewable-intensive grids by optimizing the consumption scheduling and injection of electricity stored in EVs and batteries into the grid. The project will help London Hydro and Canada to overcome challenges in providing more stable services and leveraging renewable technology's better socio-economic and environmental impacts.