19-01-2013, 11:27 AM
Microgrids: A bright future
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INTRODUCTION
High oil prices, along with
the stigma of association
with pollution and climate
change, are making fossil
fuels a friend that no self-respecting
ICT firm wants to acknowledge. Energy
alternatives, both in terms of generation
and conservation, are being aggressively
explored and implemented by global
leaders. Among these alternatives,
distributed generation is increasingly
finding favor.
Limitations of distributed generation
Distributed generation, as its name
implies, involves the generation of
electricity by a decentralized plurality
of locally-accessible fossil fuels or
renewable sources. Mature distributed
generation technologies include wind,
solar, fuel cells, and micro gas turbines
(MGTs).
However, distributed generation
technologies have yet to realize their full
potential. Current solutions still face
hurdles to their large-scale deployment.
For example, distributed power supply
(DPS) access to a power grid changes
the load flow distribution within the
system and causes numerous problems
with voltage regulation, protection/
coordination, and energy optimization,
while the introduction of a multitude
of advanced electrical and electronic
devices, as well as garden-variety
capacitors and inductors,
Microgrids:
Tremendous potential
Microgrids are a recent development
with the potential to bring distributed
generation into the mainstream. As an
extension of distributed generation,
a microgrid is a localized grouping of
electricity generation, energy storage,
energy control and conversion, energy
monitoring & management, and load
management tools, which can operate
while connected to a traditional
electricity grid (macrogrid) or function
independently.
A microgrid is comprised of various
DPS’s such as solar, wind, fossil fuels,
and biomass; along with various energy
converter units such as fuel cells, MGTs,
internal-combustion engines, and energy
storage systems. A microgrid features an
intelligent control system that enables selfcoordinated
operation. With its power
source flexibility, cost-efficient scheduling,
and optimized management, a microgrid
can act as a controllable power supply to
an external power grid or load.