MATLAB based simulation model of stand-alone micro-grid for remote area power applications

Project Title

MATLAB based simulation model of stand-alone micro-grid for remote area power applications

Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject Summary

Micro-grids are playing an important role in remote area power applications like power supply to off-grid tele-communication towers, off-grid data centres, rural electrification etc. Micro-grid could be the answer to our energy crisis. •In this project, an energy management strategy is proposed which includes maximum power point tracking  algorithms and voltage droop control method. This strategy will ensures optimal power sharing among the sources and increases reliability and stability profile of the microgrid. An efficient energy management system, MATLAB based simulation model of stand-alone micro-grid for remote area power applications microgrid and implementation on small-scale is proposed in this paper. The wind and solar energy conversion systems and battery storage system have been developed along with power electronic converters, control algorithms and controllers to test the operation of hybrid microgrid. The power balance is maintained by an energy management system for the variations of renewable energy power generation and also for the load demand variations. This microgrid operates in standalone mode and provides a testing platform for different control algorithms, energy management systems and test conditions. A real-time control is performed by rapid control prototyping to test and validate the control algorithms of microgrid system experimentally. The proposed small-scale MATLAB based renewable energy stand alone grid based microgrid can be used as a test bench for research and testing of algorithms in smart grid applications. 

Project Objectives

1. Comprehensive study of micro-grid systems.

2. Develop a MATLAB based simulation model of standalone micro-grid for remote area power applications/loads.

3. Develop a micro-grid for remote rural area.

4. Implentation hardware of stand-alone microgrid on small level.

5. Enhance the integration of Renewable Energy Resources.

Project Implementation Method

It can be divided 
into three parts; i)  solar and  wind based renewable energy 
sources supported by a battery storage system along with their 
converters connected to the Buck-Boost converters and DC bus, ii) the load side inverter and single-phase load, iii) real time controller implementing the energy management system using Arduino. The wind energy conversion system consists of a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG)  based  wind  turbine.  The  solar  photovoltaic (PV) panel  is  operated  with  maximum  power  point  tracking (MPPT) when the power generated by both PV and wind are 
less than the load demand.  When the power generated is more than the demand, the excess power is supplied to the battery with the help of Bi-directional Buck-Boost Converter and when it is no longer safe for the battery to be charged, the  MPPT is  turned off. The battery storage  system is used to maintain  the  energy  balance  in  the  system.  An  energy management system is used to control the power flow under different conditions in order to supply to the load through a single-phase inverter.

Benefits of the Project

Microgrids is part of living and are a growing segment of the energy industry, representing a paradigm shift from remote central station power plants toward more localized, distributed generation, especially in rural and urban areas. A small-scale experimental hybrid solar-wind-battery renewable energy based microgrid with energy management system is developed and implemented. The main and important benefits of our stand-alone microgrid are

1. Provide efficient, low-cost, clean energy to urban and rural areas.

2. Improve the operation and stability of the regional electric grid / WAPDA.

3. Critical infrastructure that increases reliability and resilience and improve utilization of power flow.

4. Reduce grid “congestion” and peak loads

5. Environment friendly and future requirement. 

6. Integeration of renewable resources.

7. Cheap energy generation.

8. Using electric, wind and thermal storage capabilities, a microgrid can provide local management of variable renewable generation, particularly on-site solar.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

A small-scale experimental MATLAB based simulation model of stand-alone micro-grid for remote area power applications with energy management system is developed and implemented. Experiments were conducted to test the effectiveness of the proposed energy management system for different variations in the renewable energy sources and different variations in the load demand. The energy management system and control algorithms were implemented using rapid control prototyping in Arduino controller. The experimental results show that the system is flexible and accommodates the different variations in the renewable energy sources and in the load. The controller allows the effective implementation of the energy management system. This test bench provides a platform in which future tests can be performed for different case scenarios and control algorithms for research in the field of hybrid renewable energy microgrid systems.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry Energy Other IndustriesCore Technology Clean TechOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate ActionRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	70650
Wind Turbine	Equipment	3	7500	22500
Solar Panel	Equipment	4	4600	18400
Rechargeable Battery	Equipment	1	11000	11000
Converters	Equipment	5	450	2250
Inverter	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Transformer	Equipment	1	2500	2500
Resistor , Diodes, Connecting Wires, printing, etc	Miscellaneous	1	2500	2500
Arduino	Equipment	1	1500	1500