Design and optimal placement of a Standalone Photovoltaic Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Rwanda

Abstract

Nowadays, there is notable advancement in the production and utilization of electric vehicles, which provide benefits such as zero emissions, high efficiency, reduced noise, and minimal maintenance requirements. However, the existence of charging stations required for recharging electric vehicle batteries adds to a significant energy demand on the power grid and also the selection of optimal locations of that charging stations still have challenge. One approach to ease this pressure on the grid involves utilizing renewable energy sources like solar power. The utilization of standalone charging stations represents good support to the utility grid. Nevertheless, the electrical design and placement of these systems has different techniques and is sometimes complex.Thus, this research set out to design and determine the optimal placement of a standalone PV EV charging station in Kigali by integrating renewable energy generation, battery storage, and EV charging infrastructure. Using locally relevant solar irradiance data and simulated for EV,the design framework incorporated key system parameters such as the number of PV panels, the size of the energy storage system (ESS). The suitability analysis using geographic information system (GIS) data was conducted to provide the information on the optimal placement of standalone photovoltaic swap charging stations in Kigali. In the design of standalone PV-EVCS the appropriate components for the system was selected, PVsyst and HOMER pro softwares were used in simulation of the system. The simulation results show that the system had a capacity of 78.75 kWh/day and cost of energy which is $0.23/kWh. The standalone photovoltaic swap charging stastion is a good alternative for charging station in sub-urban and rural areas because it is cheaper and beneficial to energy independence.