Impact Assessment of Microgrid in Smart Cities: Indian Perspective

Abstract

Access to reliable electricity is one of the key enablers of social and economic development. Smart energy and electricity network are one of the key factors in making a city smart; a detailed analysis considering aspects like environmental, energy, economic and societal impacts have to be done for their harmonized inclusion in the smart city design. Increasing energy demand and environmental concerns has led the way for cost effective microgrids with energy storage and backup generation which helps in minimizing energy imbalance, reducing losses and carbon emission, enhancing the overall reliability and resilience of the system. This paper first discusses the main impact of deployment of microgrids in smart cities considering different aspects like societal, economic and environmental. In the later stages of the paper a benefit analysis of microgrids adoption in one of the smart city located in the state of Uttar Pradesh is presented in terms of reliability enhancement and reduction of system losses.