Decentralized DC Microgrids in Rural Africa Lucas RICHARD 1,2, Nassim BENNACER, David FREY, Marie-Cécile ALVAREZ-HÉRAULT, exchange limit with the microgrid set at a tenth
The microgrid system we modeled runs on PV, wind turbines, a biogas generator, and lead-acid batteries. South Africa has a large solar capacity, so the addition of batteries will enable the
In this approach, the yearly averaged monthly (YAM) values of the system load are considered as the key factor for the sizing of the microgrids. Three main constraints on which the optimal configuration of the desired
Africa which looked into the feasibility of a microgrid combining solar, wind, hydropower, biogas (from cattle waste), and biomass (gasification) technologies. The paper employed a
1 Introduction. As the world''s energy and environmental problems become increasingly serious, the construction of microgrid has received increasing attention [].The development of microgrid is conducive to promoting
"Accounting for low solar resource days to size 100% solar microgrids power systems in Africa," Post-Print hal-01848161, HAL. Laura M. Platchkov & Michael G. Pollitt, 2011. " The
For a standalone microgrid in Mali, optimal sizing is achieved by employing the cost versus reliability . A trade-off between reliability and cost of the system can be made because of the higher initial cost of the PV panels and the battery storage systems.
Though the optimal sizing of a microgrid is essential for ensuring its optimal operation (both from technical and economic aspects), there is no reported framework or guideline for approaching the problem.
A microgrid system is a low/medium voltage power network that hosts distributed and renewable energy sources, storage devices, and loads, with a view to best utilise renewable energy resources and reduce dependency on fossil fuel-based energy sources to ensure reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission.
Optimal mini-grid systems have been proposed in literature for many rural areas, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa. In , the authors proposed a mini-grid consisting of PV panels, inverter and a battery. The sizing of the system was done using an analytical approach while the financial modelling was done in Homer software.
Appropriate sizing of microgrid components, that is, number and size of PV modules, batteries, DGs and associated power electronic devices determines the efficient and economic design of the microgrid. There are numerous sizing approaches available in the literature, which are subjective to the requirements of the microgrid operator.
One of the main objectives of the microgrid concept is to facilitate adaptation of clean and environment friendly energy sources. Therefore, the commonly featuring energy sources in a microgrid are renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, etc.
