Reviews on micro-grid configuration and dedicated hybrid system optimization software tools: Application to Laos

Abstract

Connecting the electric grid to rural and remote areas is very uneconomical to carry out. Moreover, the utility network is not designed to fulfill the growing needs of the population and may be destabilized by new consumers. Therefore, it is more economical to electrify those areas with a micro-grid by means of existing renewable energy sources available locally. The micro-grid configuration represents the energy distribution architecture from the producing sites to consumers and eventually the interconnection between several sites and several consumers. The design and study of such a grid configuration is realized using simulation tools and has to be considered from the system level with economical matters in addition to the technical aspects. As for the optimization of a hybrid/micro-grid system, several software tools have been developed and designed to simulate and optimize hybrid systems. In this paper, an analysis of the current status of electrification in Laos is presented. Then, a literature review of the existing micro-grid configuration is presented and a case study of a typical rural, remote and isolated village in Laos is simulated, using some of the selected software tools.