Analysis of an electrical microgrid in a remote area based on distributed energy resources

Abstract

Generation of electricity in Bangladesh is mainly based on natural gas. However, the generation sector is experiencing shortfall of gas and thus the region under the supply zone is facing the problem of load shedding owing to lack of sufficient electricity supply from the generating stations. As a result, this sector is moving towards oil, which is a very costly solution. Besides these, there is a movement for coal-based generation to meet the energy demand. However, this one is more harmful for the environment. Importing energy from neighbouring countries is also an option for Bangladesh. In a conventional system, electricity has to be generated in a huge amount, and it is transported to the consumers through the long transmission lines and distribution systems. The losses and costs incorporated with these processes are not negligible. The cost increases especially when the service area is remote. In remote areas, local people use diesel generators for electrifying local markets and villages by means of local grids known as microgrids. However, these generators run for a few hours of the day and the generation cost is very high. The Solar Home System has been used to replace traditional kerosene-based lamps and enable the use of DC TV, DC fans and light bulbs from 1998 in Bangladesh. However, with the advancement of technology, the demand of the consumer is increasing significantly. To meet this growing demand, it is necessary to expand the national grid to cover those remote areas. Quality and reliable electricity supply to all could be possible by adequate generation of electricity as well as by setting up new transmission and distribution networks. However, this would require a huge amount of investment. Also, it will be associated with higher electrical loss and would require a longer time to be installed. As an alternative to this option, it may be possible to produce additional power at the consumer spots by using the locally available distributed energy resources, like solar PV, solar thermal, biogas, wind, hydro, micro-hydro and other available resources. Huge amount of power can be generated by incorporating multiple numbers of smaller generating units, which are distributed throughout the distribution network. A new model to generate electricity with higher penetration rate of renewable energy usage has been explained in this work. To this end in view, an optimization algorithm has been developed to make proper use of the distributed energy resources and a novel method named “Consumer is Producer” has also been presented. The proposed model is capable of providing quality and reliable power with lower pollution, elimination of evacuation system, higher penetration rate of renewable energy with easier installation and maintenance. Besides these, this model could be used to unlock the potential of engaging a large number of population into the power market and thus producing huge amount of electricity within the minimum possible time. The mathematical modelling has been carried out using MATLAB programming environment. An online database named “PVwatt” is also used to collect and use the relevant data and information in the analysis. Finally, the performance of the proposed model has been compared with that of the traditional power system.