Ecosense reinstalled
Microgrid System at Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi. Mepco Schlenk
Engineering College is established with the mission to produce competent,
disciplined and quality engineers and administrators through service par
excellence.
Microgrid Lab is
installed at Department of Electrical Engineering to conduct research in the
field of Microgrid and Renewable Energy.
A Microgrid is a localized group of electricity sources and sinks (loads) that typically operates connected to and synchronous with the traditional centralized grid (macro-grid), but can also disconnect and maintain operation autonomously or go completely off-grid as per the requirement.
To understand how a Microgrid works, you first have to understand how
the grid works.
The grid connects homes, businesses and other buildings to central power
sources, which allow us to use appliances, heating/cooling systems and
electronics. But this interconnectedness means that when part of the grid needs
to be repaired, everyone is affected.
This is where a Microgrid can help. A Microgrid generally operates while
connected to the grid, but importantly, it can break off and operate on its own
using local energy generation in times of crisis like storms or power outages,
or for other reasons.
A Microgrid can be powered by distributed generators, batteries, and/or
renewable resources like solar panels. Depending on how it’s fuelled and how
its requirements are managed, a Microgrid might run indefinitely.
Ecosense’s Microgrid system is an experimental and research system. It
relies on two of the popular Renewable Energy sources i.e.; Solar PV and Wind.
Instead of Actual wind turbine we are using Wind Turbine Emulator. Wind turbine
emulator mimics the behaviour of wind turbine for hardware level simulations.
This system has a DC motor coupled with the Permanent Magnet Synchronous
Generator, speed of which is controlled as per the speed reference calculated
by solving the mathematical model of wind turbine. Researcher can execute the
mathematical models of their newly developed or modified wind turbine and can
simulate the speed/power of profile of turbine on hardware environment directly
for different wind speeds & pitch angle.
Similarly, instead of using Solar Panels we used Solar PV Emulator. Solar PV
Emulator mimics the behaviour of Solar PV Panels for hardware level
simulations. This system comprises of two DC Switch Mode Power supplies which
can be programmed by user to either behave like a solar panel or a DC Power
supply. User can select and program solar panels in the range of 10 Wp - 1000
Wp per channel and configure them to work in Independent or Parallel
configurations to actualize a Solar PV Array. By virtue of its features, it can
be easily considered as a versatile Solar PV Array.
WTE-PVE Hybrid with DC Microgrid system combines the outputs of Wind Turbine
emulator and PV Emulator at a common DC link which is further connected to a
three-legged programmable inverter to deliver the combined power to an Actual
Grid.
After installation a 2- day master’s training is conducted. This Masters
training program was focused on educating and training the professors and
scholars and technicians in Microgrid Technology who will further train
thousands of students and professionals to start their career or business in
this very field.