Off-Grid System Evaluation in the Distribution Network

Abstract

In the European countries, there is a tendency of partly replacing centralized generation with distributed generation. By supplementing distributed generation with an electricity storage system, power companies, along with the usual power supply services, may offer new power supply solutions to their customers. One of such services is the provision of off-grid power supply solutions. Off-grid systems are usually important in rural territories where electricity consumers are scattered and the electricity consumption is low since for entities of this type, providing a power supply connection to the public distribution network requires large capital investments. The article proposes a life cycle cost evaluation model for selecting the most economically advantageous technical solution: setting up an off-grid system or constructing a connection to the public network by building a long power transmission line.