Review of Grid Interconnection Requirements and Synchronization Controllers for Dispersed Minigrids

Abstract

As of 2019, the world population without electricity access is estimated to 770 million with most of these communities residing in sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, between 2000 and 2019 the Indian population with electricity access has grown from 43% to 99%. Minigrids have played a major role in the efforts of increasing access to electricity in rural areas. However, interconnecting minigrids to each-other or to the main grid remains still a challenge both due to lack of clear protocols and of technically matured controllers to manage the synchronization. In this paper, a review of existing interconnection guidelines is presented and their relevance for the interconnection of minigrids is assessed. Furthermore, existing synchronization controllers are reviewed highlighting their applicability for minigrids.