A smart eCook battery charging system to maximise electric cooking capacity on a hybrid PV/diesel mini-grid

In this paper, eCook batteries are considered to be synonymous with those electric cooking devices (eCook), such as electric pressure cookers, induction cookers, hotplates or rice cookers, that can be connected to and supplied from a battery, which may or may not be fully integrated within the device. Connecting many eCook batteries can have an impact on the operation of a hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/diesel mini-grid network unless managed appropriately. The network could experience voltage fluctuations, system power losses and increased peak demand if all or most of the connected eCook batteries charge during a relatively "narrow" window of sunlight hours. Hence, this paper focuses on maximizing the number of eCook devices accommodated by the mini-grid, in keeping with increased consumer uptake, by regulating the charging rate (C-rate) of the eCook batteries themselves. The impact of varying the C-rate on the network constraints is assessed through a range of contextualized case studies. This entailed modeling an innovative smart eCook battery management system (EBMS) that actively monitors the state of the grid and decides on the eCook's battery C-rate set-point required to address the network constraints. The results demonstrate that the EBMS can alleviate the impact of conventional eCook battery charging on the mini-grid network, as well as increase the quality of the charging service.