The techno-economic potential of multi-energy microgrid

Rapid population growth, industrialization, and technological progress have significantly increased the need for sustainable and high-quality energy. This has led to an increase in global renewable generation capacity. Despite significant advancements in electricity generation, a large portion of the worldwide population, particularly those living in remote areas, still faces inadequate access to electricity. Ensuring a steady, dependable, cost-effective power supply in regional and remote areas presents a significant challenge. Many communities currently depend on diesel generators, which produce substantial carbon emissions. The utility grid is under considerable strain to extend vast distances for multiple economic and technological reasons. The effects of climate change have added significant pressure to the electricity supply in regional areas across many economies. In this context, Community Microgrids (CM) are being increasingly adopted to address these challenges, and renewable technologies are becoming more affordable. These Community Microgrids (CMs) can be applied across different sectors of the economy, including households, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and local and regional industries. They can provide dependable, secure, environmentally friendly, and carbon-neutral power supplies, even during network interruptions. Growing environmental concerns have led to a significant increase in adopting renewable energy sources (RESs) in recent years. Community Microgrids (CMs) can incorporate Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) and manage conflicts between distributed generation and external power grids, such as operational discrepancies, technical coordination issues, infrastructure impact, and policy and regulatory misalignment.

Additionally, they can maximize the utilization of existing renewable potential. Both India and Australia have comparable policies regarding microgrids. For instance, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has launched the First Nations Community Microgrids Program, which focuses on developing and deploying microgrids in First Nations communities. Moreover, with the 2022 Climate Change Act doubling the emissions reduction target for 2030 and setting a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, Australia is actively working to update its current strategies. As the research progresses, we will follow the below steps.;

;• Identify the region/s areas under study.;

• Characterize the climate conditions.;

• Detailed electrical load analysis.;

• Synthesize solar radiation.;

• Analyse wind potential.;

• Modelling of PV module. ;

• Modelling of DG.;

• Modelling of the battery storage system. ;

• Forecasting renewable energy.;

• Dispatch strategies include load-following (LF) and cycle-charging (CC).;

Three criteria for assessing and comparing the performance of Community Microgrid (CM) systems are (i) economic assessment criteria, (ii) technical assessment criteria, and (iii) environmental assessment criteria. A multicriteria decision-making approach will be employed to evaluate and compare various Community Microgrid (CM) configurations. Additionally, we will use multiple cost analyses, including

(1) salvage costs,

(2) average cost analysis, and

(3) operating costs.

Lastly, we will conduct

(1) a technological reliability assessment and (2) a sensitivity analysis to enhance policy implications for the Indian and Australian economies.; ;

Readings:;

• P. Malik, M. Awasthi, S. Sinha, A techno-economic investigation of grid integrated hybrid renewable energy systems, Sustain. Energy Technol. Assess. 51(2022) 101976.;

• L. Byrnes, C. Brown, L. Wagner, J. Foster, Reviewing the viability of renewable energy in community electrification: The case of remote Western Australian communities, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 59 (2016) 470–481