Scalable and Characterization Methods and Tools for Remote Monitoring of Off Grid Technologies: Case Study of 3x15mva Power Distribution Injection Substation in Nigeria

Abstract

Remote control and monitoring of energy resources are vital for the effective management of electricity in rural areas. Access to electricity in rural areas of Nigeria has grown in recent years. Nigeria appears to be growing rapidly in the electrification of both rural and urban areas through the use of distributed energy resources using renewable energy. Nevertheless, there have been challenges in the remote monitoring of the energy resources in the rural area. The challenges include high cost of implementation, available technology, power consumption, system integration, social-Economic challenge, etc. This paper present a cost-effective concept for remote monitoring systems of distributed energy resources (off-grid/mini-grid) and on-grid/main-grid technologies based on free open-source Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) or vison CC software that runs on a server located at the central station and a robust interface panel where the sensors measure system parameters, which are subsequently analyzed by signal processors before being transferred to a central location, where data is stored on the server's hard drive. The remote monitoring system is for monitoring and collection of energy data such as current, voltage, power, and environmental data such as temperature and humidity. The basic remote monitoring system consists of two components: a transmitter located at a remote site (where the mini-grid is installed) and a receiver located at the central station (where the system monitoring process is done). The proposed concept comprises various means of connecting locally with the remote system, with the connection being through Universal Serial Bus (USB), RS232, RS485, or Ethernet, where this data is stored on a central relational database management system, which makes it possible for posterior analysis.