1

Grid to Vehicle and Vehicle to Grid Energy

Transfer using Single-Phase Bidirectional AC-
DC Converter and Bidirectional DC - DC
converter
Arun Kumar Verma, Student Member, IEEE, Bhim Singh, Fellow, IEEE, and D.T Shahani

from the grid to vehicle and vehicle to grid, the concept of

Abstract— In this paper, a configuration of a single-phase smart grid is visualized. One can transfer energy from PHEV
bidirectional AC-DC converter and bidirectional DC-DC to grid when it is parked in peak hours and can take energy
converter is proposed to transfer electrical power from the grid back from the grid in lean hours, thereby can earn some
to an electrical vehicle (EV) and from an EV to the grid while revenue as the cost of energy is much more in peak hours then
keeping improved power factor of the grid. In first stage, a 230 V in lean hours. An electric vehicle pack has a substantial
50 Hz AC supply is converted in to 380V dc using a single-phase
amount of energy stored in its battery. One typical EDV can
bidirectional AC-DC converter and in the second stage, a
bidirectional buck–boost dc-dc converter is used to charge and output over 10 kW, the average drawn power of 10 houses.
discharge the battery of the PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric The key to realizing economic value from V2G is precise
Vehicle). In discharging mode, it delivers energy back to the grid timing of its grid power production to fit within driving
at 230V, 50 Hz. A battery with the charging power of 1.2 kW at requirements while meeting the time-critical power “dispatch”
120V is used in PHEV. The buck-boost DC-DC converter is used of the electric distribution system. PHEVs use grid electricity
in buck mode to charge and in a boost mode to discharge the to displace transportation fuel consumption [1]. The battery
battery. A proportional-integral (PI) controller is used to control plays an important role in the performance of PHEVs.
the charging current and voltage. Simulated results validate the Efficient charging and discharging of the battery are essential
effectiveness of proposed algorithm and the feasibility of system.
to maintain good battery life, safety, and reliability. In this
paper, a configuration with the bidirectional power converters
Index Terms— Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV),
Bidirectional AC-DC Converter, DC-DC Converter, Vehicle to is derived for the bidirectional power management of a PHEV
grid (V2G), Electric drive vehicle (EDVs) battery. The system can charge battery up to 10A current at
120V. It can also deliver energy back to the 230V, 50 Hz
single-phase power at 10A rate. The system is composed of
I. INTRODUCTION two parts: a single-phase bidirectional AC-DC converter and a
DC-DC converter. Single-phase bidirectional AC-DC
The basic concept of vehicle-to-grid power is used in converter is to convert AC to DC voltage [1]. The buck-boost
EDVs (Electric Drive Vehicles) to provide electric power to DC-DC converter is used in buck mode for charging and a
the grid while the vehicle is parked. The EDV can be a boost mode when discharging the battery. The charging and
battery–electric vehicle, fuel cell vehicle, or a plug-in hybrid discharging of the battery demonstrate the feasibility of the
vehicle. Plug-in hybrid EDVs can function in either mode of system. This paper is organized as follows: system
operation. EDVs, whether powered by batteries, fuel cells, or configuration and principle of operation is introduced in
gasoline hybrids, have within them the stored energy in the Section-II. Design of the system is explained in Section-III.
battery and power converters capable of producing a 50 Hz Its control algorithm is given in Section-IV, and Matlab
AC voltage that powers our homes and offices. When modeling is given in Section-V. Detailed simulated results
connections are added to allow this electricity to flow from have been discussed in Section-VI. Conclusive remarks are
cars to power lines, one calls it V2G (Vehicle to Grid). When given in Section-VII.
connections are added to charge the battery of EDVs from
power lines, then it is termed as G2V (Grid to Vehicle).
II. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND PRINCIPLE OF
PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) are emerging as
OPERATION
replacement for traditional vehicles. With the energy transfer
Fig. 1 shows the system configuration. A single-phase
bidirectional AC-DC converter and a bidirectional buck-boost
Arun Kumar and Verma D.T Shahani are with Instrument Design and DC-DC converter are included in the system. This system
Development Centre, IIT Delhi, New Delhi-110016, India. (E-mail:
[email protected] and [email protected]), Bhim Singh is with includes an inductor connecting between single-phase AC and
Electrical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New a bidirectional AC-DC converter necessary to boost dc output
Delhi-110016, India. (E-mail: [email protected]). in order to maintain the DC bus voltage at 380V [2]. The buk-
boost DC-DC converter shown in Fig.2 is used for charging in
978-1-4673-0136-7/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE

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 2

the buck mode and for discharging in boost mode. In charging These types of converters are developed to meet the
mode, the DC-bus voltage must be higher than the battery requirements of applications of bidirectional power flow in
voltage, and it operates in buck mode. Through controlling the addition to improved power quality at the grid in terms of high
PWM duty ratio in the buck mode, the charging current is power factor and low THD with well-regulated output DC
controlled. In discharge mode, the buck-boost converter voltage. This single-phase bidirectional ac-dc converter is
operates in the boost mode. designed for a 3 kW. Fig. 1 shows a circuit of this type of
A. Grid –Bidirectional AC-DC Converter converter.
In the energy transfer mode from the grid to vehicle and
vehicle to the grid the interaction between the grid and
bidirectional AC-DC converter is the main issue. As shown in
Fig.3 during the analysis, the positive current direction is
considered from the grid to an AC-DC converter. The grid
voltage is considered to be a sinusoidal and it is given as,
vs (t ) = 2Vs Sin(ω t ) (1)
where vs(t) instantaneous grid voltage with rms value of Vs. Fig.2 Bidirectional buck-boost DC-D Converter
Fundamental component of an AC converter voltage is given
The fundamental converter voltage Vc is given as,
as,
mVdc (4)
vc (t ) = 2Vc Sin(ωt − δ ) (2) Vc =
2
where Vc is rms value of fundamental component of converter where m is modulation index, the value of m is considered as
voltage vc(t), and δ is an angle between vc(t) and vs(t). 0.9, and Vdc is the dc link voltage and it is taken as 380 V. The
The grid current is given as, value of Vc by using eq. (4) is 241.86V.
I s (t ) = 2 I s Sin(ωt − θ ) (3) The relation between fundamental converter voltage and
source voltage is given as,
where θ is the angle between is(t) and vc(t).
As illustrated in Figs. 4(a)-4(b), [3,4] an active power is Vc = Vs 2 + ( I s 2 * X l 2 ) (5)
provided by the grid as long as vc(t) lags vs(t), and it is sent to
where Vs is rms grid voltage and the value of Vs is 230 V and
the grid when vs(t) lags vc(t). Since vc(t) and vs(t) are
Is is grid rms current. By using eq.(5) the value of grid
sinusoidal, is(t) is also sinusoidal as shown before. Its phase inductance is calculated as 2.1mH.
angle, θ, determines the direction of the reactive power flow. The value of dc link capacitor is given as,
I dc (6)
C dc =
2 * ω * v dcripple
where Idc is the DC link current (Pdc/Vdc) and ω is angular
frequency and vdcripple is 5% of Vdc. From eq. (6), the
calculated value of Cdc is 1mF [7]. Detailed model parameters
of the system are given in Appendix.

Fig.1 Proposed configuration for V2G and G2V Energy transfer

Fig.3 Representation of the grid and the charger

If θ is positive, the reactive power is sent to the grid, and if B. Design of Bidirectional Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter
θ is negative, the reactive power is provided by the grid to the Fig. 2 shows a bidirectional buck-boost dc-dc converter.
converter. Operating modes such as inductive and capacitive The solid state switch K2 is used for boosting while the switch
charging are shown in Figs. 4(c)-4(f) [5, 6]. K1 is used for the buck mode. The relationship between
switching frequency f, inductance L, in buck–boost mode is
given as,
III. DESIGN OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM
⎛ ⎞ (7)
The design of various components of proposed charging 1 ⎜ 1 ⎟
f = ⎜ ⎟
and discharging system consists of a single-phase bidirectional 2 * P * L ⎜ 1 + 1 ⎟
⎜ V Vb ⎟
AC-DC converter, a bidirectional DC-DC boost converter, a ⎝ dc ⎠
battery energy storage system. The detailed design of each Where P is conversion power, Vdc is input voltage and Vb
part is given in the following sections. is output voltage and f is the switching frequency and its value
A. Design of Single-Phase Bidirectional AC-DC Converter is 50 kHz. The value of P is 3 kW, Vdc input voltage 380V and
Vb is output voltage is 120 V. From eq. (7) the value of L is

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 3

1.9 mH [8, 9]. Detailed model parameters are given in The output of the controller Ip(k) at kth instant is given as,
Appendix B.
Ip*(k)=Ip*(k-1)+Kpv{Ve(k)–Ve(k-1)}+KivVe(k) (10)
C. Design of Storage Battery
where Kpv and Kiv are the proportional and integral gains of
A lead-acid model of the battery is implemented in simulink
the voltage controller.
using model parameters given in [10]. Fig. 5 shows a
The PI current controller closely tracks the reference current
Thevenin’s equivalent of the battery as an energy storage unit.
Ip*(k) and gives a control signal Vcs to minimize the current
Its energy is represented in kWh which is stored in an
error Ie(k) which is calculated from the reference current Ip*(k)
equivalent capacitor (Cbb) expressed as,
and a sensed current Ip(k) at kth instant of time as,
Cbb=(kWh*3600*1000)/{0.5(Vocmax2-Vocmin2)} (8) Ie(k)=Ip*(k)-Ip(k) (11)
where Vocmax is the maximum voltage at the terminal of the This current error is amplified using the proportional
battery when it is fully charged and Vocmin is the minimum controller by gain “K,” and which is given as,
voltage at the terminal of the battery when it is fully Vcs=kIe(k) (12)
discharged. In this Thevenin equivalent model of the battery This amplified signal is compared with fixed-frequency (10
[10], Rs is the equivalent resistance of the battery, which is kHz) triangular carrier wave in unipolar PWM switching
usually a small value. For this analysis Rs is taken 0.01Ώ. The signals for the IGBTs of single-phase bidirectional AC-DC
parallel circuit of Rb and Cbb represents the self discharging of converter [7].
the battery. A typical value of Rb for this battery is considered
B. Control of Bidirectional Buck–Boost DC-DC Converter
10kΏ. Here the battery is considered of having 1.2 kW for 12
In order to get the desired operation of charging and
Hr. peaking capacity, and with the variation in the voltage of
discharging of the battery using a bidirectional buck-boost
order of 106 V to 136V. The calculated value of Cbb for this
converter, a PWM control technique is used here. A PI
battery is from eq. (8) is calculated as 14281 F.
controller is used to control the battery output current ( Ib ).
The PI voltage controller closely tracks the reference dc link
current and gives a control signal (VcT) to minimize the
current error IeT(k) which is calculated from the reference dc
link current I*b(k) and a sensed dc link current Ib(k) at kth
instant of time as,
IeT(k)=I*b(k)-Ib(k) (13)
The output of the PI controller Ic(k) at kth instant is given as,
VT(k)=VT(k-1)+Kpv{IeT(k)–IeT(k-1)}+KivIeT(k) (14)
where Kpv and Kiv are the proportional and integral gains of
the voltage controller [7]. This scheme is applicable for buck
as well as boost mode. The output of the controller VT(k) at kth
instant is compared with fixed frequency (fs) saw-tooth carrier
waveform to get the switching signals for the MOSFETs of
the bidirectional buck-boost converter [7].

Fig.4 Vector diagram for different operating modes: (a) Charging, (b)
Discharging (c), Inductive operation, (d) Capacitive operation, (e) Charging
and Capacitive operation, (f) Charging and Inductive operation

IV. CONTROL ALGORITHM

The control algorithm for different blocks of proposed Fig.5 Thevenin’s equivalent circuit of storage battery
system is given in this section. It plays an important role in the
operation of such system and is explained as follows. V. MATLAB BASED MODELING
A. Control of Single-Phase Bidirectional AC-DC Converter The simulation model of the proposed energy transfer from
In the control of single-phase bidirectional AC-DC the vehicle to grid and grid to vehicle is shown in Fig.6, is
converter, a unipolar switching scheme is used, in which the developed in MATLAB. It consists of modeling of single
triangular carrier waveform is compared with two reference phase bidirectional AC-DC converter. This single phase
signals which are positive and negative signals. The output bidirectional AC-DC converter is designed for a power of a 3
voltage varies between 0 and Vdc, or between 0 and −Vdc. The kW. The bidirectional DC-DC buck-boost converter is used
PI (proportional integral) voltage controller closely tracks the for charging and discharging of the battery of PHEV. The
reference voltage (Vref) and gives a control signal (Ip) to detailed parameters of bidirectional buck-boost converter are
minimize the voltage error Ve (k) which is calculated from the given in Appendix A. A battery energy storage system is
reference voltage Vref (k) and a sensed voltage Vdc(k) at kth considered for 1.20 kW for 12 Hours peaking capacity within
instant of time as, the variation in voltage of 106 V to 136V. Detailed parameters
Ve(k)=Vref(k)-Vdc(k) (9) of storage battery are given in Appendix C. Simulation is

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carried out in MATLAB version of 7.7 the sim power system VII. CONCLUSION
(SPS) toolbox using ode (23tb/stiff/TR-BDF-2) solver in The proposed converter has delivered the AC current to/and
discrete mode at 1e-6 step size. from the grid at unity power factor and at very low current
harmonics which ultimately prolongs the life of the converter
VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION and the battery and minimizes the possibility of distorting the
Simulated results from the plug-in modes are shown in grid voltage. It also enables V2G interactions which could be
Figs. 7-9. The current delivered to and from the grid is shown utilized to improve the efficiency of the grid.
to be sinusoidal and in phase with the grid voltage. This
eliminates current harmonics and maintains a unity power

Fig.6 MATLAB/SIMULINK model for energy transfer from vehicle to grid and grid to vehicle

factor. When delivering power to the grid, the injected current

is in the reverse direction of the grid voltage, which can be
seen from 1800 phase difference. In this case, zero crossing of
the grid voltage and injected current are still matching each
other. These figures show the simulated results of the loading
of the DC voltage bus. Although some brief voltage transients
occur during abrupt load changes, the converter maintains 380
V across the DC bus while supplying or absorbing the
required current. The rise in the battery voltage while charging
and fall in the battery voltage while discharging are shown in
these figures corresponding to the maximum and minimum
battery voltage in the charging and discharging modes, the
voltage profile is demonstrated in Figs.7-8 at 1.35 to 1.45s.
There is change in the mode of operation i.e. from buck mode
to boost mode. In Fig.9 at 1.9 to 2.2 s. discharging to charging
mode of operation is shown i.e. boost mode to buck mode and
at the same point of time the direction of current is in 1800
phase opposition. This shows the reversal of current and flow
of power in reverse direction. In Fig.8, while showing Vs, Is in
same figure, Is, grid current is amplified by factor of 10 in Fig.7 Charging and discharging of PHEV battery (Full profile)
order to observe it in comfortably to the given axes. Figs.10-
11 shows the current harmonics spectra of charging as well as
discharging grid current. The THD (Total Harmonic
Distortion) of the grid current in both modes is found below a
limit of 5% a limit of IEEE-519 standard.

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 5

APPENDICES
A. Parameters for Single-Phase Bidirectional AC-DC
Converter
Ki1=2, kp1=0.1, Ls = 2.3mH, Ki2=2, kp2=0.85, 3000W, 230V
rms, fs = 20 kHz.
B. Parameters for Bidirectional DC-DC Buck Boost Converter
Buck, Ki1=1, kp1=0.001 for Boost Ki2=0.5, kp2=0.001, Fs = 50
kHz, L0 = 1.9 mH.
C. Parameters for Storage Battery
Rb=10 kΩ, Rs=0.01Ώ, Voc=120V.

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Power factor operation

Fig.10 Waveform and harmonics spectrum of the discharging grid current

Fig.11 Waveform and harmonics spectrum of the Charging grid current

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