Canyon load curve management and network loss reduction using Virtual Storage Bank

Abstract

This work focuses on establishing a Virtual Storage Bank (VSB) utilizing electric vehicle (EVs) and electric bus (e-bus) fleets located in various places such as households, office parking areas, EV charging stations, and school parking lots. These assets can be used as a source or load during their idle state. This work introduces the VSB, a novel concept offering dynamic storage resource sharing within clusters and beyond in the distribution network(DN). The VSB helps maintain the power balance for managing the canyon load curve and minimizing network loss by intelligently distributing storage based on availability and network requirements. This collaborative approach to storage management unlocks new possibilities for optimized power sharing within and across clusters, contributing to a more efficient and resilient power grid. The VSB formation process considers feature states such as power demand, storage capacity, and owner participation willingness. Coordination of e-fleets is achieved by focusing on Time-of-Use (ToU) pricing. The study validated a standard IEEE 13-bus distribution network, demonstrating the success of VSB formation in meeting power demand and reducing network losses. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the IEEE 13-bus distribution network, and the study was extended to the IEEE 34-bus system for scalability and practicality.