Deferrable Irrigation Load Optimization in Rural Microgrid Clusters

Abstract

This paper proposes a design optimization strategy for improving irrigation load servicing in existing standalone rural microgrids in the Indian village Dharnai. The Deferrable Load Servicing Grid (DLSG) consists of Clustered Microgrid Architecture (CMA), where irrigation and domestic standalone microgrid entities are integrated. The Deferrable Load Servicing Algorithm (DLSA) treats the irrigation load as a deferrable load to utilize excess energy effectively. The model is further designed to satisfy the socio-economic conditions of the village by proposing two optimized systems, namely, Efficiency Optimized System (EOS) and Cost Optimized System (COS). The EOS and COS designs optimize efficiency and lifetime costs, respectively. Comparing both designs to the currently operating CMA, the EOS provides an efficiency gain of 6.35% while maintaining the lifetime cost. In contrast, COS provides an 18% relative decrease in total lifetime cost while preserving the irrigation and domestic efficiency.