Solar microgrids are sustainable, clean energy sources in remote regions
Source: Susheela Srinivas · RESEARCH MATTERS · | August 31, 2021
Source: Solar panels installed in Sikkim (credit Prof Prakash C Ghosh, IIT Bombay)
In April 2021, a research team from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Bombay (IIT Bombay) installed a 50 kWp solar microgrid facility for an army base camp in Sikkim. The Sustainable Energy Storage Suitable for Microgrid (SENSUM) project comes under the Mission Innovation India plan. It is a step towards India’s ambitious goal to tap into renewable energy sources, and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, funded the 95- lakh venture.
The project, spearheaded by Prof Prakash C Ghosh, is one of a kind to be installed at an altitude of 17000 feet. The solar microgrid is integrated with a hybrid energy storage system comprising Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB) and Hydrogen fuel cells. Presently, the microgrid reduces the site’s dependency on a 30 kVA diesel generator, setting precedence for clean, eco-friendly energy sources.
The team braved rough terrains, low-oxygen and unpredictable weather conditions to install the microgrid.
“Hauling our equipment was a huge challenge,” says Prof Ghosh, recalling how they transferred heavy battery equipment without the help of cranes. “Moreover, we had just two months to install the facility before the monsoons sealed off access to the site,” he adds.
The solar microgrid
Microgrids operate autonomously as power backups for the primary power supply grids. Whenever the main power supply is disrupted due to a power shortage, an outage, or repairs, the microgrids take over the supply to the load. Unlike a diesel gen-set, microgrids generate power from renewable sources such as solar or wind energy. In remote and inaccessible regions (such as the army camp in Sikkim), where there is no central power supply, microgrids offer an attractive and sustainable option to meet the region’s power demands.