1.
Introduction
In today’s world there is a continuous increase in demand of Electrical Energy and it cannot
be fulfilled by the existing Power System in near future because of depleting fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels are a finite resource that take millions of years to develop and will continue to
diminish with use.
So, there is a need of renewable energy sources to fulfill the increased demand. Renewable
Energy, however, utilizes energy sources that are readily available all over the world,
including in rural and remote areas that don't otherwise have access to electricity. But is has
drawbacks of intermittency, low power quality, high installation cost.
Microgrid with Renewable Energy Sources can fulfill the increasing electricity demand and It
can also overcome the problems associated with the Existing Power System as well as with
the Renewable Energy Resources.
Microgrid also have some challenges and problems associated with Microgrid Integration
such as power imbalance, voltage fluctuations, stability and there is great scope for the
research in this field.
[Link] of Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy comes from natural sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, plants,
algae and geothermal heat. These energy resources are naturally replenished.
Fossil fuels are a finite resource that take millions of years to develop and will continue to
diminish with use. Renewable Energy, however, utilizes energy sources that are readily
available all over the world, including in rural and remote areas that don't otherwise have
access to electricity.
Advances in Renewable Energy Technologies have lowered the cost of solar panels, wind
turbines and other sources of green energy, placing the ability to produce electricity in the
hands of the people rather than those of oil, gas, coal and utility companies.
Research into renewable, non-polluting energy sources is advancing at such a fast pace, it's
hard to keep track of the many types of Renewable Energy that are now in development. Here
are 5 of the most common types of green energy:
a) Solar energy
b) Wind energy
c) Hydropower
1
d) Geothermal energy
e) Biomass [1]
a) Solar energy
The most prevalent type of renewable energy, solar power is typically produced using
photovoltaic cells, which capture sunlight and turn it into electricity. Solar energy is also used
to heat buildings and water, provide natural lighting and cook food. Solar technologies have
become inexpensive enough to power everything from small hand-held gadgets to entire
neighbourhoods.
b) Wind Energy
Air flow on the earth's surface can be used to push turbines, with stronger winds producing
more energy. High-altitude sites and areas just offshore tend to provide the best conditions for
capturing the strongest winds. According to a 2009 study, a network of land-based, 2.5-
megawatt wind turbines in rural areas operating at just 20% of their rated capacity could
supply 40 times the current worldwide consumption of energy. significant amounts of energy.
c) Hydropower
Also called hydroelectric power, hydropower is generated by the Earth's water cycle,
including evaporation, rainfall, tides and the force of water running through a dam.
Hydropower depends on high precipitation levels to produce
d) Geothermal
Just under the earth's crust are massive amounts of thermal energy, which originates from
both the original formation of the planet and the radioactive decay of minerals. Geothermal
energy in the form of hot springs has been used by humans for millennia for bathing, and now
it's being used to generate electricity. In North America alone, there's enough energy stored
underground to produce 10 times as much electricity as coal currently does.
e) Biomass
Recently-living natural materials like wood waste, sawdust and combustible agricultural
wastes can be converted into energy with far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum-
2
based fuel sources. That's because these materials, known as biomass, contain stored energy
from the sun.
[Link] of Renewable Energy in current context
All India installed capacity of power plants as on 31/10/2022 is 408714.7 MW including all
sources. Out of which 165942.77 MW is from Renewable Energy Sources, which is around
40.6 percentage of the total installed capacity. The percentage shares are listed below.
Table 1. All India installed capacity (in MW) as on 31/10/2022. [2]
Source Capacity (in MW) % Share installed
capacity
Thermal 235992 57.74
Nuclear 6780 1.66
RES (including Hydro) 165942.77 40.6
Renewable Energy
Large Hydro 46850 11.46
Solar 61624 15.08
Wind 41843 10.24
Small Hydro 4923 1.20
Bio 10683 2.6
Total 408714.7 100
3
4. Problems with Renewable Energy
a. Intermittency in nature
Power generation depending on natural resources that are uncontrollable by humans and
intermittent in nature. The uncertainty in energy production in renewable energy
technologies is making integration more complex.
b. Power quality issues
Due to intermittency in nature, there may be frequency disorder, voltage/current harmonics,
low power factor, voltage variation. Poor power quality can have major adverse effects on
the power grid as well as industrial processes.
c. Generation forecast
Due to uncertainty in power generation, we can-not exactly forecast our generation.
d. Cost issue
The high initial cost of installation is one of the major hurdles in the development of
renewable energy. In addition to this, storage systems of the generated energy are expensive
and represents a real challenge in terms of megawatt production.
e. Resource location:
In most cases, renewable energy sources are dictated by location and distance between the
renewable energy source and the grid is a major aspect in term of installation cost of
transmission lines and efficiency due to transmission losses. [3]
[Link] with normal Existing Power System
a. Electricity transmission losses
Electricity distribution over long distances increases the temperature within power lines and
thus causes significant energy losses in the form of heat. In the end, these losses are paid for
by everyday electricity consumers.
Solution: Energy decentralization. A shift from electricity production in a few big power
plants to a system of small local energy sources that ensure energy is consumed as close as
possible to its source, even on the level of individual residential buildings.
4
b. Frequent power outages
The two most common causes of blackouts are extreme weather conditions and time-worn
power lines. While Europe is not affected that often, serious cases of power outages threaten
millions of people and already caused billion-dollar damages across Australia and the United
States. Besides paralyzing life within the affected areas, a huge blackout can result in
electronic device damage and important data loss.
Solution: Increased energy self-sufficiency. Backup sources, such as batteries, can offer
long-lasting protection in case of power outages and ensure continuous operation of crucial
equipment. When combined with a renewable energy source, a delivery point can stockpile
green energy and save it for later use.
c. Electromobility
Electric vehicles (EV) are still rare, but the fast advances in technology are increasing their
popularity. However, EV charging can take a significant amount of time and if we can’t allow
spending half a day at the gas station, we need to use a supercharger which consumes an
immense amount of energy. To compare, one full charge using a supercharger equals the
launch of 70 air-conditioning units at once. Such an instant change in power demand is a
huge.
Solution: Smart grid. Online connection of various sources such as solar panels, batteries,
EV chargers or other equipment. Through the analysis of collected "Big data" in real-time, it
is possible to speed up the reaction time to the changes in the power grid and thus ensure high
quality and stable energy supply. Or in other words, devices can dispose of unused energy to
benefit other equipment that is in need of it.
d. Grid modernization
While the operating lifetime of power lines is not eternal and the renovation or building of
new power lines is costly, there is a constant need to increase its capacity.
Solution: Energy decentralization. As mentioned above, local energy production and
consumption lowers the amount of electricity distributed through the power grid. Therefore,
the transmission losses are lower and less burdened power lines last longer.
e. Threat of cyber attacks
Digitalization of the energy sector has its side effects as well. There have already been cases
detected when a group of hackers infiltrated systems of energy companies and exposed
thousands of households to a controlled blackout.
Solution: Blockchain. The potential of distributed databases to eliminate cyber-attacks
proved to be so efficient that even international financial institutions e.g. J.P. Morgan and
Nasdaq consider its implementation. Similarly, as during energy generation decentralization
in which the responsibility for the grid operation is not in the hands of a single supplier,
5
distributed databases mean that an attack on one single point in the grid, e.g., one power plant,
cannot interfere with the operation of the entire system.
f. Threat of terrorist attacks
Even though an attack on food sources or other vital supplies can cause major issues and
panic in society, with today's transport options the situation can be solved relatively quickly.
On the other hand, devastation of power lines can take much longer to repair.
Solution: Microgrids. Or, simply said, self-sufficient energy communities. If a terrorist
group decided to stop the energy supply on a big scale, an attack on a huge number of
microgrids would be needed.
[Link]
A Microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources that acts as a
single controllable entity with respect to the grid. It is connected to both the local generating
units and the utility grid thus preventing power outages. It can connect and disconnect from
the grid to operate in grid-connected or island mode. Excess power can be sold to the utility
grid. Size of the Microgrid may range from housing estate to municipal regions. It enables
local power generation for local loads. Microgrids can improve customer reliability and
resilience to grid disturbances. Block diagram of a typical AC-DC Hybrid microgrid is
shown in the figure below.
Fig. 1. Block diagram of a typical Hybrid AC-DC Microgrid [4]
6
There are three types of Microgrid:
a. AC Microgrid
b. DC Microgrid
c. Hybrid AC-DC Microgrid [4]
a. Microgrid advantages
1. A major advantage of a Microgrid, is its ability, during a utility grid disturbance, to
separate and isolate itself from the utility seamlessly with little or no disruption to the
loads within the Microgrid.
2. In peak load periods it prevents utility grid failure by reducing the load on the grid.
3. Significant environmental benefits made possible by the use of low or zero emission
generators.
4. The use of both electricity and heat permitted by the close proximity of the generator
to the user, thereby increasing the overall energy efficiency.
5. Microgrid can act to mitigate the electricity costs to its users by generating some or
all of its electricity needs.
b. Microgrid disadvantages
1. Voltage, frequency and power quality are three main parameters that must be
considered and controlled to acceptable standards whilst the power and energy
balance is maintained.
2. Electrical energy needs to be stored in battery banks thus requiring more space and
maintenance.
3. Resynchronization with the utility grid is difficult.
7. Why we need to go for Microgrid
a. It can overcome some of the problems associated with normal existing power
system:
1. Microgrid could be the answer to our energy crisis.
2. Transmission losses gets highly reduced.
3. Significant environmental benefits made possible by the use of low or zero emission
generators.
4. During a Utility Grid disturbance, it can separate and isolate itself from the utility
seamlessly with little or no disruption to the loads within the Microgrid.
5. In peak load periods it prevents utility grid failure by reducing the load on the grid.
6. It has less effect in case of cyber-attack and terrorist attacks.
7
b. It can overcome some of the problems associated with renewable energy resources:
1. Provide high quality and reliable energy supply to critical loads
2. Large land use impacts are avoided.
3. Microgrid encourages the use of the renewable energy sources. [5]
8. Problems associated with Renewable Energy and Microgrid
a. Compatibility
A Microgrid could include a range of components, like diesel engines, wind turbines,
energy storage, combined heat and power, inverters, electrochemical capacitors,
information and communication devices, software applications, etc. Each component’s
generation potential, startup time, shutdown time, inertia, operational cost,
charging/discharging rate, control, and communication limits are different. These
differences in the parameters give rise to compatibility.
b. Power Imbalance and Voltage Fluctuations
While functioning as a load or source, switching an Microgrid system from grid-tied to
standalone mode causes power imbalance and voltage fluctuations in the system. Storage
and FACTS devices are viable solutions to the aforementioned problem.
c. Power Quality
Power quality issues in distributed power systems arise due to increased penetration of
power electronic-based switches and non-linear loads. The presence of intermittent DGs
(solar and wind) also affects the power quality of a microgrid. Generation
Decentralization and keeping the adequate demand to supply ratio can improve power
quality.
d. Stability
Three main reasons behind the stability issues are:
1. Decreased system inertia, resulting in angular instability and frequency instability.
2. Lower voltage stability as a result of reduced energy distribution.
3. Lower frequencies’ oscillations as a result of a shift in the power-sharing ratio.
Decentralizing the supply and maintaining a proper demand to supply ratio can improve
power quality and stability. [7]
8
References
[1]. Godfrey Boyle, “Renewable Power for a Sustainable Future”, 3rd Edition, Sep 2022.
[2]. Central Electricity Authority [Link]
[3]. Sen, S. And ganguly, S. (2017) ‘opportunities, barriers and issues with renewable energy
development – A discussion’, renewable and sustainable energy reviews. Elsevier, 69(june
2015), pp. 1170–1181. Doi: 10.1016/[Link].2016.09.137.
[4]. Patrao, I.; Figueres, E.; Garcera, G.; González-medina, R. Microgrid architectures for low voltage
distributed generation. Renew. Sustain. Energy rev. 2015, 43, 415–424.
[5]. Robert H. Lasseter, paolo piagi. "Microgrid: A conceptual solution", university of wisconsin-
madison (june 2004)
[Link]
[6]. A. A. Salam, A. Mohamed and M. A. Hannan. "TECHNICAL CHALLENGES ON
MICROGRIDS" (Dec 2008)
[Link]
[7]. M. H. Saeed et al.: Review on microgrids’ challenges & perspective, Volume 9, 2021.