Advanced Modular Photovoltaic System for Plug-in Small Electric Vehicles (PsEV)

The paper presents an advanced modular photovoltaic system designed for Pug-in Small Electric Vehicles (PsEV) electricity supply in remote applications. The concept is based on the modularity of the photovoltaic (PV) power supply system (PVbox) that can be multiplied in order to fully cover the electricity demand of each application. Based on that the interconnection between multiple PVboxes is done via an Intelligent Connection System (ICS) specially designed for this application. During the design phase the adaptability of the system was the primary focus that determined the PVbox to work as an off-grid system with the battery storage capacity included and an on-grid back-up (in available). The idea was to make the PVbox compact and lightweight, with the maximization of the photovoltaic (PV) power output of the system. Another key factor was the development of an innovative energy management system to cover the possibility of supplying a wide range of plug-in small electric vehicles (PsEV). An in-depth analysis was made to refine the PV system solution in order to maximize the system potential with the results presented below. The results of the paper show that the advanced modular photovoltaic system for plug-in small electric vehicles (PsEV) can be a good alternative for off the grid and remote applications.