Primary frequency control by fuzzy-based participation controller for plug-in electric vehicles

The increasing penetration level of electric vehicles (EVs) shows that they will enter into the category of distributed energy sources in the near future. Major upgradation is required in the conventional power system to handle upcoming challenges due to electrification in the transportation sector and generate opportunities for the power system. The energy storage capability of batteries and advancement in fast switching converters enable EVs to support the grid with different ancillary services, e.g. primary frequency control (PFC). However, an effective charging strategy/controller is required to support the grid with PFC without violating constraints from grid and EVs. This paper proposes a novel fuzzy-based controller to decide EV's availability for PFC with an optimized participation level considering different operational modes and EV charging demand. The controller computes the participation level of EVs based on real-time inputs from EVs, magnitude of frequency deviation and availability of primary reserve. The Spanish power system model has been employed to show the proposed controller's efficacy and compare it with other recently reported controllers. The MATLAB/Simulink platform has been used to perform frequency and power response analysis for four different defined cases. Results show that EVs with the proposed fuzzy-based controller can effectively support the grid with PFC service without violating the grid's and EV's limits.