Grid Load Reduction through Optimized PV Power Utilization in Intermittent Grids Using a Low-Cost Hardware Platform

Mashood Nasir, Hassan Abbas Khan, Irfan Khan, Naveed ul Hassan, Nauman Ahmad Zaffar, Aneeq Mehmood, Thilo Sauter and S. M. Muyeen
Additional contact information
Mashood Nasir: Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore 54792, Pakistan
Hassan Abbas Khan: Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore 54792, Pakistan
Irfan Khan: Department of Marine Engineering Technology in a joint appointment with Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX 77554, USA
Naveed ul Hassan: Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore 54792, Pakistan
Nauman Ahmad Zaffar: Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore 54792, Pakistan
Aneeq Mehmood: Center for Integrated Sensor Systems, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Danube University Krems, Krems 3500, Austria
Thilo Sauter: Center for Integrated Sensor Systems, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Danube University Krems, Krems 3500, Austria
S. M. Muyeen: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Curtin University, Perth 6845, Australia

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: Renewable energy incorporation in many countries takes different forms. In many developed countries, grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are widely coupled with lucrative Feed-in-Tariffs (FiT). However, conventional grid-tied solutions are not readily viable in many developing countries mainly due to intermittent grids with load shedding and, in some cases, lack of net-metering or FiT. Load shedding refers to an intentional electrical power shutdown by the utility company where electricity delivery is stopped for non-overlapping periods of time over different parts of the distribution region. This results in a non-continuous availability of the utility grid for many consumers over the course of a day. In this work, the key challenges in the integration of solar energy explicitly in residential power back-up units are reviewed and system hardware level requirements to allow optimized solar PV utilization in such intermittent grid environments are analyzed. Further, based upon the low-cost sensing and real-time monitoring scheme, an online optimization framework enabling efficient solar incorporation in existing systems to achieve minimum grid dependence in intermittent grid environments is also provided. This work is particularly targeted for over 1.5 billion residents of semi-electrified regions in South Asia and Africa with the weak and intermittent grid.

Keywords: optimal planning; solar UPS; hardware platform; intermittent grids; load shedding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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