Isolation Microgrid Design for Remote Areas with the Integration of Renewable Energy: A Case Study of Con Dao Island in Vietnam

Abstract

In remote areas, extending a power line to the primary electricity grid can be very expensive and power losses are high, making connections to the grid almost impossible. A well-designed microgrid that integrates renewable energy resources can help remote areas reduce investment costs and power losses while providing a reliable power source. Therefore, investigating the design of an independent and economically practical microgrid system for these areas is necessary and plays an important role. This paper introduces a design procedure to design an isolated microgrid using HOMER software (HOMERPro 3.14.5) for remote areas. In Vietnam, due to the obstruction of the mountainous terrain or the isolated island location, many remote areas or islands need electrification. A simple case study of a hybrid system with a 60 kW peak load demand on Con Dao island in Vietnam is used to illustrate the proposed design method. Specifically, a hybrid system that includes a PV system, batteries, and a diesel generator is designed. To provide the full information of the designed hybrid system designed, each solution is analyzed and evaluated in detail according to the sensitivity parameters.