SOPEVS: Sizing and Operation of PV-EV-Integrated Modern Homes

Abstract

We address a problem that arises at the confluence of three recent trends: the popularity of storage-coupled photovoltaic (PV) systems amongst homeowners, the rapid proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) with potential for bidirectional energy storage within PV-enabled single-family homes, and third, the surge in remote working accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, we explore the joint optimal sizing and operation of domestic homes while accounting for different degrees of remote working and the impact of home energy management system (HEMS) operation preferences. This task is complex due to the coupling between sizing and operation and the stochastic and non-stationary nature of solar generation, load, and EV drive cycles. We introduce SOPEVS (Sizing & Operation of PV and EV integrated Single-family homes), a novel framework formulated to tackle this multifaceted challenge. We use SOPEVS to investigate how commuting habits and choices in HEMS operation affects the sizing of domestic PV energy systems. Our findings reveal that homeowners who predominantly work from home and possess bidirectional EVs can potentially eliminate the need for separate home storage systems, thereby substantially reducing overall system costs. We also find that configuring a HEMS to maximise charging through solar energy can achieve savings of up to 80% on total system expenditure (excluding cost of EV), depending on the desired level of grid independence and the preferred State of Charge (SOC) of EV at the time of departure.