Integrated Operation of Decentralised Resources for Rural Area Power Supply Applications

Energy in general and electrical energy in particular is not only at the center of sustainable development, but also at the center of development itself. Thus energy is critical for sustainable development because it is not only necessary for economic development, but also because this necessity drives societies towards environmentally unsound energy use and could severely compromise the planet itself. Sustainable low-carbon energy scenarios for the coming century emphasize the untapped potential of decentralised/renewable energy (DE/RE) sources. Rural areas those away from the grid or not connected to the electrical network of the developing world can benefit from this transition. The increased availability of reliable and efficient energy services stimulates new development alternatives. A number of renewable energy initiatives are under way in developing countries, and India can contribute to rural development through the integrated operation of locally available RE sources. However due to the behavioral characteristics use of single source may not be able to supply energy safely, reliably and economically. An integrated renewable energy system composed of some renewable sources, and targets a small area such as a village or remote area for power supply. The system described here is meant to provide power for lighting during night hours. The system configuration of renewable energy varies with site location as these are generally intermittent in nature. Thus it may so happen that renewable power may not be sufficient to meet the regional demand in some hours. Such energy systems need to be provided with backup to support whenever the renewable supply is insufficient. In the present study it is targeted to a small village in the state of Madhya Pradesh in remote part of India, for examining the possibility of providing electrical energy with three kinds of renewable sources, such as solar-PV, wind power and small hydro power operated in an integrated way. The data- of various energy sources was collected from the regional meteorological center for at least ten years were analysed in order to plan for the structure of the system. Finally the effects of integrated operation to store energy in the batteries with solar and wind sources are presented as the hydropower studies are underway. The model has been operated in laboratory installed in Electrical Engineering Department at VNIT - Nagpur - India. The results of solar wind integrated system are presented and the benefits to rural area are discussed. By this means, the most economical energy system can be configured and harnessed optimally that can provide a secured and sustainable development in the years to come under deregulated energy market