Solar mini grids: design methodology and challenges and comparative study of energy storage system in rural electrification
Student name: Ms Ashima Mahlawat
Guide: Mr Amit Kumar
Year of completion: 2015
Host Organisation: Selco Foundation, Bangalore
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Niraj Marathe
Abstract: It is now well recognized that electric power is a key driver of economic growth and prosperity. But access to electric power remains a distant dream for majority of the poor living in developing countries. Per capita electricity consumption in developing countries is far lower than the developed world. In developing country like India, where about 68% of population is living in villages. Therefore, there is need to develop the technologies for effective utilization of available renewable energy resources for electrification of remote rural areas. Even in villages that are ‘electrified’ (connected to a grid or a centralized distribution system), supplies are erratic and of extremely poor quality. Access also is limited. In many ‘electrified’ villages, all village residents do not have access to electricity. Thus the village electrification needed a system that they can feed locally available energy resources rather than the central gird This thesis covers the rural energy scenario in India, brief account of government schemes towards the rural development, brief literature review, the social and technical challenges in setting up solar minigrids .While setting up a solar minigrid, various factors should be accounted ranging from the customer expectations, cost effectiveness, technology adopted and social and political factors associated with it which is discussed in the thesis. All this work is carried out through field visit to villages and with the help of ongoing projects in the Selco Foundation. Apart from this, thesis will focus on the comparative energy technologies for solar mini grid .this study will give a future insight in the field of new storage system and summarize the future possibilities of solar mini grid with the new technologies Key words: Solar Mini grid, electricity storage system, social and technical challenges, cost comparison
