DC micro grids

DIRECT-CURRENT MICRO GRIDS IN INDIA

Typical tubelight fixture in a hut, India
Power cuts are common in India during summers. A large part of the population do not have access to electricity. Though the Ministry of Power try their best, at times they may fail to supply power to the interior parts of India.


To solve this problem, a group of individuals from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have been working towards supplying electricity by making use of the solar energy and direct-current. 

They have successfully installed solar direct-current micro grids providing 125W of electricity to 4000 homes in 71 villages of Rajasthan.[1]

So what are direct-current micro grids?


A solar panel placed outside a hut
DC micro grids consists of an array of solar panel generating 230V DC, an AC distribution line over a distance of 1-2 km and 2 supporting poles.
Houses are connected to the distribution line through the junction box mounted on the poles.

The 230V AC is converted to 14V DC through a micro grid charge controller which charges the battery and powers the DC load. The charge controller draws the power from the grid and charges the 1kWh lead-acid battery during the day. At night, the DC loads are powered by the controller drawing power from the battery.





The installed setup in a village[2]
Each micro grid is installed with an uninterrupted direct-current (UDC) power meter that monitors the current consumption and an AC-to-DC current converted is installed along with it to convert a portion of the incoming AC to DC.

GAINS

1.Optimally priced and one time investment cost.
2. Does not require highly skilled manpower for installation and services.
3. Highly reliable for a remote location 


CONCLUSION

The focus of this system is that we can install it in any place as long as we have solar energy.
An energy meter
Bhom Ji ka Gaon, 300 km from the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan is the first village to be electrified by this system. Using this, we can power up 5 fans, 8 LED lights, 2 small flat screen TVs, several cellphones and tablet chargers and a laptop.

This is feasible as residents don’t have to pay too much, eco-friendly  and quicker installations when compared to the AC distribution line.

Courtesy and references:


Written by :
Jolyn Tellis
4th SEM, Computer Science Engineering
AIET

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