IIT Madras, ABB India collaborate to optimise electricity in villages

IIT Madras has signed an agreement with ABB India, an industrial technology developer, to evolve a power management system in order to optimise operation of multiple micro-grids while managing electricity supply to villages as part of the government’s Uchchatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY). This system will enable integration of individual solar PV (photovoltaic) rooftops to a village microgrid. Such clusters have the capability of generating and using renewable energy locally from one kilowatt to a few hundred kilowatts. The inter-connection of microgrids with the existing distribution system can help reduce outages and lower cost of power. The scope of the project includes microgrids of 20 to 100 kW capacity equipped with battery storage. Detailed studies and simulation of the various system components, related control and optimisation logics, protection criteria, monitoring and communication will also be undertaken. “It is important to design models of integration with power management and load balancing for proven microgrids technology with the existing grid infrastructure. This will enable access to reliable, sustainable and cost-efficient power to the remotest areas of the country,” says Sanjeev Sharma, CEO, ABB India.