Renewable energy sources-based hybrid microgrid system for off-grid electricity solution for rural communities

Abstract

Rural electrification is a crucial component of meeting sustainable development goals. In Pakistan, load shedding and power outages are frequent. According to the current data, Pakistan is experiencing a shortfall of power between 6000 and 6500 MW. Microgrid technology has the potential to provide a solution to this problem in an efficient and low-cost manner. This paper proposes the development of a hybrid microgrid system (HMGS) for rural communities. For that purpose, a technological analysis of the HMGS system for rural electrification is performed. Solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind resource-based renewable energy systems are considered in this work for the electrification of rural areas of Pakistan. A hybrid PV/wind system is designed using MATLAB software. Simulation results show that a 230-V sinusoidal output voltage has been produced by the proposed model. The advantage of this model is that it minimizes the impact of transients and provides a sinusoidal output waveform.