Parametric Analysis of

Centralized DC Microgrids for

Rural Electrification
Mashood Nasir, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
Lahore - Pakistan

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 Presentation Outline
1. Need For Rural Electrification and Current Status
2. Overview of the Existing Technologies for Rural Electrification
A. Rural Electrification Via interconnection with National Grid
B. Stand alone System e.g. Chief Minister Ujala Scheme
C. Microgrids based Electrification
3. Classification of SOLAR DC Microgrids on the basis of Architecture
A. Central Generation Central Storage Architecture (CGCSA)
B. Central Generation Distributed Storage Architecture (CGDSA)
C. Partially Distributed Architecture (PDA)
D. Distributed Generation Distributed Storage Architecture (DGDSA)
4. Comparison Matrix
5. Potential Challenges
6. Conclusion
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 Need for Rural Electrification
Access to electricity is coupled with
1) Health opportunities

2) Employment opportunities

3) Agriculture opportunities

4) Education opportunities

5) Socio-economic development

Lack of electricity hampers

1) Access to clean drinking water

2) Basic healthcare facilities

Figure 1: A primary school in Naran Valley, Pakistan, without access to
3) Education facilities
electricity and basic education facilities [1].
4) Lighting, heating and air conditioning facilities

5) Quality of life and standards of living

[1]. M. Nasir, H. A. Khan,,, N. A. Zaffar, Vasquez, J. C., & Guerrero, J. M. (2018). Scalable Solar dc Micrigrids: On the Path to Revolutionizing the
Electrification Architecture of Developing Communities. IEEE Electrification Magazine, 6(4), 63-72..

3
 Current Status of Rural Electrification
 Worldwide almost 1 Billion People (13% of World population) are without access to
electricity [2] and 83% of non-electrified population lives in rural areas [2].
 Around 30 million People and 30,000 Villages in Pakistan are not Connected to
National Grid [3].
 More than 1 billion people have gained access to electricity since 2000.
 United Nation’s SDG-7 aims to provide universal access to electricity by 2030.
 Projected electrification rate in India, Indonesia and otherUnelectrified
southPopulation
east Asia is in line
210
195
Total Population
with SDG-7 180
165
150

 Developing Asia (including Pakistan) is behind the target while Africa is far away.

Million People
135
120
105
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
2000 2005 2010 2016 2018
Year
Figure 2a: World Wide Rural Electrification Scenario [2] Figure 2b: Rural Electrification Scenario in Pakistan [2, 3]

[2]. "World energy outlook 2017," International Energy Agency, vol. 1, 2017.
[3]. Electricity for All: Rural electrification – I by Syed Akhtar Ali, Business Recorder, 11-03-2018.
4
 Existing Technologies for Rural
A.
Electrification (1)
Electrification via Laying Three Phase AC Transmission and
Distribution Lines to Connect it with National Grid

Utility Grid Extension has

been the Predominant Rural
Electrification Scheme and
around 70 % of Electrification
during 2000 to 2016 has been
Achieved through Grid
Extension. Figure 3. Schematics for Electrification through National Grid Interconnection

Table 1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Utility Grid Extension for

These large scale
developments are generally
constrained by the limitation
of funding resources and
therefore, not Suitable for
developing Economies like
Pakistan
Rural Electrification Implementations
Advantages Drawbacks
Mature Technology High Cost for Building New Power
Generation Plants
Uninterruptable, Reliable and High Cost for Laying Long Distance
Stable Transmission Lines
Can support High Power Line Losses in Transmission and
Community Loads Distribution
Affordable for Consumers Power Quality Issues
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 Existing Technologies for Rural
Electrification (2)
B. Electrification via Stand-alone Systems
e.g. Chief Misniter Ujala Scheme

Infrastructure development company (IDCOL) by

government of Bangladesh has reported the
installation of 4.12 million SHS in the remote areas
up to May, 2017 through which 18 million people
i.e. 12% of Bangladesh population has been given
access to electricity. The projected target of IDCOL
is to install 6 million SHS by 2021.
Figure 4. Schematic of a standalone Solar Home System

Table 2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Standalone Solar System for Rural Electrification
Although, this technology
can provide a stop gap
measure for providing
rural occupants with very
basic electricity, however,
it is unlikely to bring
people out of poverty and
contribute for socio-
economic uplift
Advantages
Renewable, Clean and Noise Free
Operation
Cost Effective for Limited
Electrification
Simpler Design
Highly Efficient due to DC
Generation, storage and Loads
Drawbacks
Can not Provide Power beyond
Subsistence Living
Unable to Drive High Power
Community Loads (e.g. Filtration
plants, Agriculture Pumps or School)
Incapable of Resource Sharing
Can not Extract the Benefit of Usage
Diversity
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 Existing Technologies for Rural
C. Electrification (3)
Electrification Via Microgrids

A highly reliable localized network

of interconnected generation,
storage and loads. In order to
make it best fit for Rural
Electrification, Following
parameters needs to be carefully
selected:

1. Generation (Renewable/ Non-

Renewable)
 Solar PV (due to green nature
and naturally Abundant
Availability)
2. Distribution Type (AC/ DC)
 DC due to higher efficiency
3. Generation/Storage
Architecture
(Centralized/Distributed)
 Distributed as discussed in
next slides
Figure 5. Schematics for Microgrid based Rural Electrification
Table 3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Microgrid based Rural Electrification
Advantages Drawbacks
Resource Sharing Capability at a Top – Down Centralized Planning as
village scale per Peak Power Requirements
No need to Lay Long Distance Low Utilization Factor
Transmission Lines
Lower Line Losses in Comparison Higher Up-front Cost in Comparison
to Utility Grid Interconnection to Standalone System
Higher Power Quality Rigid in terms of Future Expansions
 Classification of Solar DC Microgrids on the
Basis of Architecture (1)
A. Central Generation Central Storage Architecture (CGCSA)
e.g. Mera Gao Power in India [4]

Limitations of CGCSA
 Higher Line Losses due to
central Placement of
Resources
 Lower Distribution Efficiency
 Higher Voltage Drops at the
Rear End
 Higher Up-front Cost
 Lower Scalability
 Suitable only for Limited
Power Allocation per house
(0.2 amps at 24 V)
 No Provision of Communal
Load
 Can not Contribute towards
Significant Uplift of the Society
Figure 6: Conventional Central Generation Central Storage Architecture (CGCSA)

[4]. D. Palit, G. K. Sarangi, and P. Krithika, "Energising Rural India Using Distributed Generation: The Case of Solar Mini-Grids
8
in Chhattisgarh State, India," in Mini-Grids for Rural Electrification of Developing Countries, ed: Springer, 2014, pp. 313-342.
 Classification of Solar DC Microgrids on the
Basis of Architecture (2)
Factors effecting the efficiency of Central Generation Central Storage
Architecture (CGCSA) AWG-2, 380V
100

98

Distribution Efficiency [%]

96
 Voltage Level
94 N 40
N 80
92 N 120
 Conductor Size
90
0 100 200 300 400 500
Household Load (W)
 Village Architecture AWG-2, N 40
100

Distribution Efficiency(%)
 Location of Resources 80

60

 Number of Subscribers 40
24V
48V
120V
20 230V
325V
 Power Levels to be distributed 0
380V

0 100 200 300 400 500

Household Power (W)
Figure 7: The distribution efficiency variations of a CGCSA with
power provisioning variations at an individual household [5]

[5]. M. Nasir, S. Iqbal and H. A. Khan, "Parametric Analysis of Centralized DC Microgrids for Rural Electrification,
9 3 rd
International conference on DC microgrids (ICDCM, 2019), Matsue, Japan.
 Classification of Solar DC Microgrids on the
Basis of Architecture (3)
B. Central Generation Central Storage Architecture (CGDSA)
Presented by Maduri et.al UC Berkley, USA [6]

Characteristics and
Limitations of CGDSA
 Relatively Lower Distribution
Losses due to High
Distribution voltage
 Distributed Storage at each
household reduces the over all
distribution losses, however
distribution losses associated
with generated energy still
exists.
 Communication via GSM
among various households
 Multiple Conversion Losses

Figure 8: Central Generation Distributed Storage Architecture (CGDSA)

[6}. P. A. Madduri, J. Poon, J. Rosa, M. Podolsky, E. Brewer, and S. R. Sanders, "Scalable DC Microgrids for Rural
10
Electrification in Emerging Regions," IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, vol. PP, pp. 1-1,
2016.
 Classification of Solar DC Microgrids on the
Basis of Architecture (4)
C. Partially Distributed Architecture (PDA)
Presented by Wardah Inam et.al MIT, USA [7]

Characteristics and
Limitations of PDA

 GSM-based communication
between PMUs of generating
modules and consuming modules

 Losses are further reduced due to

distribution of Solar generation
resources.

 Modularity
 Scalability

Figure 9: Partially Distributed Architecture (PDA)

[7]. W. Inam, D. Strawser, K. K. Afridi, R. J. Ram, and D. J. Perreault, “Architecture and system analysis
11 of
microgrids with peer-to-peer electricity sharing to create a marketplace which enables energy access,” in
 What is Needed???
An Architecture having
 Low Cost Deployment

 Lower Distribution and Conversion Losses

 Higher End to End Efficiency

 Reliability

 Scalability

 Resource Sharing Feature

 Capability to Drive High Power Communal Load

An architecture with above characteristics is a true Rural

Electrification Architecture that can provide beyond subsistence
level power provisioning and can genuinely contribute towards the
socio-economic uplift of the society. 12
 Classification of Solar DC Microgrids on
the Basis of Architecture (5)
D. Distributed Generation Central Distributed Architecture
(DGDSA) proposed by
Mashood et. al LUMS [8]
 A Self Sustaining Network
purely based upon Solar
Energy
 Nanogrid (Household) as a
basic building block
 Each Nanogrid has its own
PV generation, battery
storage and connected with
DC bus
 Each nanogrid can work
independently as well as in
coordination
 Bidirectional power flow
capability is realized via
bidirectional converters

Figure 10: Distributed Generation Distributed Storage Architecture (DGDSA)

[8]. M. Nasir, H. A. Khan, A. Hussain, L. Mateen, and N. A. Zaffar, "Solar PV Based Scalable DC Microgrid for Rural Electrification
13
in
Developing Regions," IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, 2017.
 Classification of Solar DC Microgrids
on the Basis of Architecture (6)
D. Distributed Generation Central Distributed Architecture
(DGDSA) Continued… proposed by Mashood et. al [8]

Characteristics of DGDSA
 Lower Distribution Losses and Higher Efficiency
 Modularity Allows Flexibility in Future Expansions
 Scalable in Design and Planning (Bottom–up planning)
 Lower cost due to Communication-Less Coordination of distributed Resources [9]
 Resource Sharing can extract the benefit of usage diversity
 Overall structure Can aggregate power for Community Loads
 Microfinancing opportunities for private investors/public–private partnerships.
 Potential to create energy economy through local energy transactions.
 Local Employment creation in terms of bill collection/maintenance of resources
 Potential to create gender equality and women empowerment.
[8]. M. Nasir, H. A. Khan, A. Hussain, L. Mateen, and N. A. Zaffar, "Solar PV Based Scalable DC Microgrid for Rural Electrification in
Developing Regions," IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, 2018.
[9]. M. Nasir, Z.jin, H.A. Khan, N.A. Zaffar, J.C. Vasquez and J. M. Guerrero, ‘’A Decentralized Control Architecture Applied to Cluster
14 of
Multiple nanogrids for Rural Electrification of Developing Regions”, IEEE Transactions of Power Electronics, 2018.
 Comparison Matrix
Table 4. Various In-Practice Solutions for
Table 5. Typical Power Provisioning Levels for Village Scale Electrification
the Electrification of Developing Regions
Typical Power Details
Type of Solution Option Provisioning (levels)
1 Light/mobile phone charging up to 8 hrs a day
Utility (National) Grid A
2 24/7 Light/mobile charging
Standalone Solar B
3 Light(s) + mobile charging + house loads (Fans etc.)
Diesel Generators C
4 Light(s) an + mobile charging + Fan(s) + larger communal
Centralized Solar Microgrids D
loads
Distributed Solar Microgrids E 5 All loads (including industrial)

Table 6. Characterization of Various In-Practice Solutions

for the Electrification of Developing Regions
Other Aspects A B C D E

Scalability Low Low Low Low High

Modularity Med. Low Low High High

Utilization Efficiency High Low Low Med. High

Communal Loads High Low High Low High

The potential for Energy Low Med. High High High

Micro-economy
The potential for Poverty High Med. Low Low High
Alleviation
Legal Challenges Low Med. Low Med. Med. Figure 10: Mapping of Various Architecture from Power
Provisioning and Economic Viability Prospective
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 Cost Analysis and Financial Viability
Survey for the Estimation of Willingness to Pay for three level of services
1. Light only +charging load (5W/household)
2. Lights, Fan and Charging Load (30W/household)
3. Lights Fan Communal and Charging Load (30W+500W)

Table 7. Mapping of Willingness to Pay on Estimated Cost of the Microgrid for the Calculation of Payback time [10]
Architecture Load per house Capital Capital + 25 Subscription Charges per user per Average
years month for payback in Willingness to Pay
(24/7 provision to subscribers) Cost
O&M Cost (USD. /Month) (USD./month)
(USD.)
(USD.)
3 years 6 years 9 years

CGCSA 1 light and mobile phone charging unit 2020 4550 1.4 0.8 0.6 1.87
(5W).
3 Lights, 9110 24900 6.3 4.2 3.1 3.4
DGDSA 1 fan, charging unit (30W per house)
3 Lights, 9525 25510 6.6 4.5 3.3 4.34
1 fan, charging unit and Communal
load (30W per house +500W)
Standalone 3 Lights, 10310 27905 7.1 4.9 3.3 3.4
Production and 1 fan, charging unit (30Wper house)
Consumption 3 Lights, 11100 29815 7.7 5.3 3.8 4.34
(No Microgrid) 1 fan, charging unit and Communal
[10]. H. A. Khan, H.load
F. Ahmad,
(30W +M. Nasir, Nadeem, M. F., & N. A. Zaffar (2018). Decentralised electric power delivery for rural electrification
500W) 16
in
Pakistan. Energy Policy, 120, 312-323.
 Potential Challenges with Practical
Deployments
 Space barriers
 PV panel Cleaning
 Battery and Converter Maintenance
 Mechanism for the Billing Collection
 Bidirectional Power Flow Metering
 Theft Detection
 Technical Challenges
 Financing Models

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 Conclusion
 The conventional schemes of electrification are limited in their potential either due to
economic constraints or their inability to sustain high-power loads.
 Scalable solar dc microgrids designed through a bottom-up approach offer a financially
viable solution along with the ability to sustain high-power loads for community
benefits.
 Scalable architectures of solar dc microgrids don’t just provide access to basic
electricity; they also have the potential to act as a catalyst for economic growth and
improved livelihoods.
 A meaningful electrification can be achieved through implementing scalable solar dc
microgrids coupled with financing and policy commitments on a broader scale.

“Scalable solar dc microgrids with a distributed nature and bottom-up

design can be regarded as a way forward to realize the global
objectives of universal energy access.”
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Thank You for Your Attention
Any Questions ??

Mashood Nasir, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering,
Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Lahore-Pakistan
Email: mashood.nasir@lums.edu.pk