Wind-Energy-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Resource Availability Data Analysis

• Main Authors: Fuad Noman, Ammar Ahmed Alkahtani, Vassilios Agelidis, Kiong Sieh Tiong, Gamal Alkawsi, Janaka Ekanayake
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: direct charging; electric vehicle; fast charging; wind energy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/16/5654

The integration of large-scale wind farms and large-scale charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) into electricity grids necessitates energy storage support for both technologies. Matching the variability of the energy generation of wind farms with the demand variability of the EVs could potentially minimize the size and need for expensive energy storage technologies required to stabilize the grid. This paper investigates the feasibility of using the wind as a direct energy source to power EV charging stations. An interval-based approach corresponding to the time slot taken for EV charging is introduced for wind energy conversion and analyzed using different constraints and criteria, including the wind speed averaging time interval, various turbines manufacturers, and standard high-resolution wind speed datasets. A quasi-continuous wind turbine’s output energy is performed using a piecewise recursive approach to measure the EV charging effectiveness. Wind turbine analysis using two years of wind speed data shows that the application of direct wind-to-EV is able to provide sufficient constant power to supply the large-scale charging stations. The results presented in this paper confirm that the potential of direct powering of EV charging stations by wind has merits and that research in this direction is worth pursuing.