While PV installations have become more popular in recent years, their intermittency poses a threat to electrical grid stability. Storage systems like batteries can be deployed in order to mitigate the adverse effects of solar intermittency. However, this is an expensive solution with various limitations. In this paper, we compare stationary batteries to mobile batteries of battery electric buses in a public bus terminus for balancing fluctuations of solar PV installations. Public buses have been chosen due to a higher amount of available energy in the batteries for balancing of solar PV and since they are easily accessible and manageable than private cars. An optimisation model has been developed considering both the bus operator’s and the PV operator’s objectives. Cycle ageing of batteries is included in the investigation. Our analysis reveals that utilising public battery electric buses with large mobile storage to balance solar PV fluctuations can present a positive financial case.
Keywords:
Photovoltaics, Electric buses, Solar balancing, Battery ageing, Optimal operation