Feasibility assessment of utilizing electric vehicles for energy arbitrage in smart grids considering battery degradation cost

ABSTRACT

A smart grid environment can enable the participation of electric vehicle (EV) owners in energy arbitrage, provided that the utility employs a dynamic tariff structure and the EV chargers support the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) mode of operation. The EV owners can trade electricity with the utility profitably by exporting the energy stored in their vehicle batteries during the high-priced periods and compensating for the sold energy during the cheaper intervals. However, the additional charge-discharge cycles involved in this venture lead to faster degradation of EV batteries. This paper analyzes the economics behind the arbitrage business in terms of the returns from energy transactions and the cost of battery deterioration, and compares it with a scenario in which the EV users stay away from the V2G market. In addition to the financial analysis, it is also important to monitor the impact on the distribution network in terms of operational parameters such as peak demand, energy loss and voltage fluctuations. The study presented in this paper assesses the feasibility of engaging EVs in electricity arbitrage from the perspective of the owners’ economic welfare as well as the grid’s technical specifications. Results indicate that although the battery degradation cost increases due to energy trading, the revenue generated is substantial enough to give a net saving of 5% for the vehicle owners. With respect to grid impact, all the monitored parameters remain within the prescribed limits, and the peak demand reduces by nearly 15%.

KEYWORDS:

• Electric vehicles
• smart charging
• V2G
• energy arbitrage
• battery degradation
• distribution network

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).