Contract-based utilization of plug-in electric vehicle batteries for day-ahead optimal operation of a smart micro-grid

The development of smart micro-grids makes the use of new and green technologies like plug-in electric vehicles more suitable. The plug-in electric vehicles can play a role in storing energy due to their network connection capability. The smart micro-grid can use this stored energy to reduce its operating cost. In this paper, a new mechanism based on the contractual agreements between the owners of plug-in electric vehicles and the smart micro-grid is proposed to provide the system's energy during the operating day. The proposed model enables plug-in electric vehicles parked in official parking to be integrated into the operation of smart micro-grid and earn revenue. The operation optimization is formulated as a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer linear problem and is implemented on energy management of a typical smart micro-grid as a case study. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed design for both smart micro-grid and plug-in electric vehicles in the case of expected cost reduction. Also, the performance of the stochastic model for uncertainty handling is shown by the value of the stochastic solution.