Evaluation of Residential Photovoltaic Systems for Charging Electric Vehicles Using a Hardware-in-the-Loop Technique

This study analyzes the energy consumption, operating costs, and associated CO2 emissions of electric vehicle (EV) charging under different residential photovoltaic system (RPVS) configurations using a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) platform. Three charging scenarios were evaluated: (i) EV charging supplied exclusively by the main grid (MG); (ii) EV charging supplied by an off-grid RPVS; and (iii) EV charging supplied by an interconnected RPVS supported by the MG. To perform the experimental evaluation, an HIL platform integrating a microgrid (µG) and an EV emulator was developed. The EV emulator was configured using the parameters of a Tesla Model S battery pack based on 18,650 lithium-ion cells. The embedded µG architecture was reprogrammed to include an RPVS, a battery bank (BB), an AC bus, and the capability to operate either autonomously or interconnected with the MG. Energy balance within the µG was managed through an Energy Management System (EMS) designed to maximize the utilization of photovoltaic energy. The experimental results showed that Scenario 1 Level 1 required 100.344 kWh, while Scenario 1 Level 2 required 105.982 kWh. In Scenario 2, energy consumption was 101.856 kWh, and Scenario 3 required 104.4 kWh. Based on these data, the estimated monthly energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and costs were as follows: for Scenario 1, 251.23 kWh, 111.54 kg CO2, and 1692.25 MXN; for Scenario 2, 251.23 kWh, 12.53 kg CO2, and 262.28 MXN; and for Scenario 3, an exportation of 1007.45 kWh to the MG, 174.36 kg CO2, and 1340.81 MXN. These results provide technical and environmental evidence supporting the feasibility of RPVS for EV charging and highlight the importance of renewable energy-based solutions for sustainable electric mobility. The proposed HIL-based methodology offers a reliable framework for assessing the technical, economic, and environmental impact of RPVS integrated with EV charging infrastructure.