Optimal economical sizing of a PV-battery grid-connected system for fast charging station of electric vehicles using modified snake optimization algorithm

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for the optimal sizing of a proposed photovoltaic (PV)-battery grid-connected system for fast charging station of electric vehicles (FCSEVs) in Cairo, Egypt. The key objectives of the formulated optimization problem are to minimize the total system cost and to guarantee the validity of the energy balance principle within the considered system. The paper also develops a novel energy management strategy, which is designed based on two widely adopted pricing strategies, for optimally managing the power flow within the considered system with the purpose of reaching the optimum sizes of the considered system components. In addition, the paper suggests a modification to the Snake optimization (SO) algorithm, which is used to solve the formulated optimization problem using MATLAB software. Moreover, a comparison is conducted among the proposed modified Snake optimization (MSO) algorithm and four other common meta-heuristic optimization algorithms to validate the viability of the suggested MSO algorithm in achieving the desired eventual aims of the sizing process. Furthermore, a techno-economic study is carried out to assess the economic viability of the proposed system for each of the two adopted pricing strategies over the project lifetime. The yielded results indicated that the developed energy management strategy is capable of managing the energy flow within the considered system effectively. Also, they demonstrated that the suggested MSO algorithm can yield the best optimal solutions for the formulated optimization problem for each of the two adopted pricing strategies compared to the other considered optimization algorithms.