Dispatching fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles toward transportation and energy systems integration

Abstract

With an increasing integration of traditional electric vehicles (EVs), the ensuing congestion and overloading issues have threatened the reliability of power grid operation. Hydrogen has been advocated as a promising energy carrier to achieve a low-carbon transportation and energy (trans-energy) systems, which can support the popularization of fuel cell hybrid EVs (FCHEVs) while enhancing the flexibility of power grids. In this paper, we propose an optimal scheduling framework for trans-energy systems that evaluates the merits of hydrogen supply chain from water electrolysis, compressed storage and transportation to FCHEV utilization. A detailed FCHEV model is established, and mileage is modeled as a function of the stored electricity and hydrogen mass. A stochastic programming-based scheduling model is formulated, which minimizes the total cost of unit commitment and hydrogen supply chain. Dijkstra algorithm is adopted to search the shortest path for hydrogen transportation. Case studies demonstrate that FCHEVs can reduce the operation costs of the trans-energy systems and facilitate the accommodation of renewable energy compared to traditional EVs.