Local Power Control using Wireless Sensor System for Microgrids in Africa

Abstract

Photovoltaic microgrids in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) suffer from limited voltage stability and frequent blackouts caused by power generation/consumer load mismatch. To improve the reliability of the microgrids, a wireless sensor network for distributed load monitoring in combination with solar irradiation forecasts based on weather data are proposed. Implementing both, local load surveillance and weather prognosis, will considerably improve the overall network stability as this combination enables specific tailored countermeasures just in time. The proposed system further allows the implementation of a cost-effective time-based tariff management to support a better uniformity of the load during daytime.