An Optimal DC Microgrid for Hybrid Consumer Loads and Electric Vehicle Integration

Increasing use of electrical energy at domestic consumer level due to increased usage of electrical appliances, compounded with increased electric vehicle usage will cause severe stress on existing distribution networks necessitating expensive infrastructural changes. An alternative would be to increase consumer level energy production through renewable sources so that dependence on the grid is eliminated altogether, or minimized. This would also help reduce overall carbon footprint. This paper discusses a viable implementation of a DC micro-grid with battery storage that is compatible with the majority of existing loads and also suggests modifications in certain loads to make them compatible. The micro-grid also allows for DC charging of electric vehicles at different voltage levels. The compatibility with the proposed Microgrid, of loads that can function without modifications and those that require minor changes is analyzed and verified experimentally.