Skoltech Turns Employees’ Electric Vehicles into a Distributed Energy Reserve for Industrial Facilities
Researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology have developed a mathematical model that helps industrial companies estimate potential electricity cost savings by incorporating renewable energy sources. The proposed energy storage systems would use batteries in employees’ electric vehicles.
Skoltech researchers have developed an optimization model that can compare different strategies for supplying electricity to industrial facilities, from purchasing all power from external sources to combining on-site solar generation with energy storage systems (ESSs).
One option involves vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which uses electric vehicle batteries as energy storage systems. Special bidirectional chargers can both charge vehicle batteries and draw electricity from them. The model takes into account the rules governing electricity billing for industrial customers, drivers’ willingness to participate in the scheme, and the need to ensure that each vehicle has sufficient battery charge when its owner finishes the workday.
The model can also account for installing solar panels on the facility’s premises, either on available land or on building rooftops. Skoltech’s system can handle this additional layer of complexity when modeling the facility’s power supply.
Six Optimization Scenarios
The model covers six different scenarios over a 10-year period. Users enter data on the electric vehicle fleet, solar infrastructure, and external power sources. The algorithm can then optimize operating schedules, charging rates, and other parameters, as well as assess the economic viability of a particular configuration.
Skoltech’s mathematical model is particularly relevant to industrial facilities that need additional power but cannot get enough from the existing grid infrastructure, or whose grid connections require upgrades. In such cases, renewable energy sources and energy storage systems, including electric vehicle batteries, could help address these constraints.
From Pilot Projects to Export Potential
The next step for Skoltech researchers is to test the model under real-world conditions. It was developed primarily with the characteristics of the Moscow region in mind, which has Russia’s largest fleet of electric vehicles. However, the model can also substitute conventional stationary energy storage systems for electric vehicles, allowing the algorithms to be used across a wider range of technical and economic assessments.
The optimization model could also be adapted for other countries, particularly members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which have similar patterns of electricity consumption. Potential customers could also include countries in the Middle East and Asia, where solar and wind power generation are expanding rapidly.
From a Mathematical Model to an Industrial Platform
Russia has already seen the development of both mathematical algorithms for using reserve energy storage systems and practical hardware solutions. In 2022, the Russian company Yablochkov introduced a V2G module of its own design. A year later, the Center for Industrial Economics at the Financial Research Institute of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation published a study examining the economic feasibility of V2G systems and their potential to support flexible electricity demand management in Moscow.
Skoltech researchers’ optimization model has promising prospects, but it first needs to be validated in practice. This will require a pilot project at an operating facility, using actual electricity tariffs and load profiles, along with all the necessary infrastructure, including energy storage systems or a large fleet of electric vehicles.
The data obtained could eventually support the development of a software platform for managing solar generation, charging infrastructure, and energy storage systems. In effect, Skoltech has laid the mathematical groundwork for assessing the economic viability of V2G technology at Russian industrial facilities.
