The Energy and Transport Sectors Coupled to Provide Ancillary Services to Electrical Network

The transition towards e-mobility and a sustainable energy system is not only a response to environmental challenges, but also an opportunity to enhance the electrical system efficiency through sector coupling. In this view, electric mobility is no longer a critical load, but it can be seen as a dynamic distributed storage system, and along with Smart Grids and Renewable Energy Communities, can play a key role in improving energy management and grid stability. This paper proposes a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming model to optimize the scheduling of electric power flows within a Smart Grid integrating an e-mobility charging infrastructure, aiming to maximize self-consumption, minimize daily operational costs, and enable the provision of ancillary services to electrical network. The case study considers four residential users and one industrial facility, each equipped with photovoltaic systems and multiple charging points for electric vehicles. The users are members of a Renewable Energy Community configuration. The objective is to assess the role of electric vehicles as dynamic distributed energy storages in enhancing the sharing of Renewable Energy Sources energy and supporting the grid flexibility and reliability providing ancillary services.