Implementation of an Integrated Electronic Control System for a Typical MicroGrid

The typical microgrid (MG) can be presented as a viable alternative solution for off grid and on grid applications featuring large to mini models. The typical MG can be formed by pairing conventional generation units with renewable energy sources (RESs) for dealing with technical and economic aspects. Technical aspects cover the challenges which reduces the reliability and efficiency of designed MG model, while economic aspects cover the affordability of design system cost. Therefore, in this regard, a MG consists of electrical power grid (Karachi electric), solar, wind units along with battery support has been modeled to investigate the effects of proposed integrated electronic control system (I<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ECS</inf>). The developed I<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ECS</inf> controller consists of two stage operation. In the 1<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">st</sup> stage, it monitors the voltage in real-time to ensure adequate supply, and in 2<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">nd</sup> stage, it initiates a control strategy to dispatch supply while activating the voltage protection circuitry for MG. Furthermore, the proposed I<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ECS</sup> has been configured with infrared-based sensors and relays module to verify the occupant presence to trigger the required amount of supply generated from typical MG. This controller helps reduce the gap between supply and demand, consequently providing better energy output. The deployment of this controller can be used as a smart technique to overcome excessive energy consumption, improving stability and efficiency for mini scale applications.