Coordinated EV Integration for Enhancing Energy Flexibility in Rural Net-Zero Energy Buildings
Net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) are designed to achieve annual balance between renewable energy generation and consumption. However, real-time mismatches persist due to photovoltaic (PV) intermittency and inflexible building loads. Electric vehicles (EVs), equipped with mobile storage capacity and bidirectional charging capabilities, offer significant flexibility potential to mitigate these temporal imbalances. This study investigates coordinated EV integration strategies within a rural solar-powered NZEB context.
Integrated Energy System Configuration and Operational Scenarios
An integrated energy system combining grid interaction, PV generation, stationary battery storage, EV charging infrastructure, and building loads was developed. Three operational strategies were designed: Case 1 (rule-based control), Case 2 (building-to-vehicle, B2V), and Case 3 (vehicle-to-building combined with building-to-vehicle, V2B + B2V). These scenarios enable comparative evaluation of unidirectional and bidirectional charging strategies in managing renewable intermittency and load variability.
Co-Simulation Methodology and Performance Framework
A rural solar-powered NZEB located in Inner Mongolia, China, was modeled using an EnergyPlus–MATLAB co-simulation platform to capture dynamic interactions between building loads and energy system control logic. A comprehensive evaluation framework was established to assess energy performance, economic feasibility, and environmental benefits, ensuring multi-dimensional performance comparison across scenarios.
Energy Performance and Grid Interaction Outcomes
Simulation results demonstrate that EV integration significantly improves system flexibility. Compared to the baseline rule-based control (Case 1), Cases 2 and 3 increase annual PV self-consumption by 12.76% and 11.13%, respectively. Load matching improves by 6.34% and 9.67%, while grid fluctuation decreases by 3.16% and 12.78%. These results confirm the enhanced balancing capability of bidirectional charging strategies, particularly in reducing peak grid dependency.
Environmental and Economic Impacts
Relative carbon emission savings (RCES) reach 32.82%, 39.22%, and 37.11% for Cases 1, 2, and 3, respectively, indicating notable environmental gains from coordinated EV operation. Economic analysis reveals that tiered electricity pricing structures yield higher operational savings and shorter payback periods (PBP) compared to time-of-use (TOU) pricing mechanisms, highlighting the importance of tariff design in maximizing system benefits.
Seasonal Complementarity and Practical Implications
Seasonal and typical-day analyses reveal strong complementarity between EV charging patterns and building load profiles. In summer, V2B strategies enhance storage utilization by discharging excess PV generation, whereas in winter, B2V supports household consumption and alleviates grid stress. These findings provide actionable insights for optimal system sizing and coordinated control strategies, particularly for rural NZEB applications seeking enhanced resilience and renewable utilization.
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