Price-based Optimization Model for Charging and Discharging of Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Scheduling in Microgrids

Electric vertical take-off and landings (eVTOLs) have a promising future as a means of urban air mobility (UAM) transportation technologies. The eVTOLs act as a load on microgrid during charging (G2A) and as a mobile generator during discharging (A2G). The eVTOLs require interaction with the inter-city and intra-city charging units and microgrid controller for navigating to the nearest charging station for charging and discharging operation. The eVTOLs can act as flexible generators during discharging and can aid in emergency services and unfavorable weather conditions. During charging, they can act as loads to help in energy management of microgrid. To leverage these benefits of eVTOLs, they must be navigated to charging stations with consideration of various constraints such as State of Charge (SoC) etc. This paper proposes optimizing the navigation of eVTOLs for charging/discharging based on urban air mobility for minimal delays and better consistency. The optimization is carried out using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The proposed optimization provides efficient coordination between charging and discharging to the grid by boosting the eVTOL discharging during peak hours. Also, it balances the number of eVTOLs between eVTOLSEs to reduce the waiting time and busy arrival rates. Further, the cost optimization of eVTOLs charging and discharging for the customers is reduced to 19% on average as compared to deregulated charging and discharging methods.