NSGA-II-based cost-optimal design for renewable energy sharing systems between urban buildings via electric vehicles

Abstract The widespread adoption of renewable energy (RE) resources in urban buildings has raised concerns about enhancement of utilisation of valuable RE generation. The participation of electric vehicles (EV) in buildings offers promising solutions to demand-side and storage-side energy management through various building-vehicle energy interactions, enabling stakeholders to utilise their RE resources more effectively. Only a limited number of studies have comprehensively investigated the energy management system, focusing on the energy sharing via EV cars between distant RE-supported buildings for optimised system design. Thus, this study designed an EV-based ocean RE sharing system that incorporates coastal office and hotel buildings according to Hong Kong standards, with twenty EVs serving as movable energy storage devices that exchange RE between these two buildings. Two simulation scenarios are proposed to investigate how the system can benefit from EV-based energy exchange: energy sharing only with the B2V function, and energy sharing with the bidirectional B2V 2 function. After modelling this system in TRNSYS 18, the design of the RE system, including the combination and penetration of different RE resources, is optimised using NSGA-II, considering both economic and environmental objectives. The optimal solutions, which maximise economic benefits and minimise carbon emissions, are provided for stakeholders to facilitate the RE exchange within two buildings. The developed methodology can help stakeholders understand the favourable design of RE-supported systems suitable for distant energy sharing. The optimisation results can provide a guideline for stakeholders to operate such EV-involved RE-supported building systems, which contribute to endeavours toward a better, greener, and cleaner carbon–neutral future for urban cities.