Smart Grids for Small Grids
Introduction
| Project objective: | DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN-SOURCE LOAD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR COMMUNITY BASED RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS |
| Location: | Buayan and Tiku, Malaysia; Barangay Balbasang, Philippines |
| Technology: | Open-source, Modular Electronic Load Controllers (ELCs) |
| Energy-related need: | Electricity |
| Costs: | Total: € 157,500 |
| WISIONS financial support: € 45,000 | |
| Partners Involved: | Asian Regional Energy Initiative of International Energy Initiative (IEI)
Green Empowerment, Tonibung (Borneo (Malaysia), Sibat (Philippines) |
| Duration: | March 2021 – December 2022 |
The Smart Grids for Small Grids project aimed to improve the efficiency and reliability of small-scale renewable energy mini-grids using open-source load management devices to monitor and control energy use in communities. The project addressed intermittent energy use in many off-grid environments, where communities commonly experience a power deficit during peak consumption hours and a large power surplus during off-peak hours. Power deficits can lead to service interruptions at times when electricity is most needed, while off-peak surpluses reduce the financial viability of the system because the energy does not generate any value for community members.
Throughout the project, Green Empowerment’s partner organizations, Sibat in the Philippines and Tonibung in Malaysia, worked with Indigenous communities that were selected because their micro-hydropower mini-grids were experiencing low load factors or overloads.
Technology, Operations & Maintenance
Three communication technologies were tested to address demand-side management challenges in mini-grids. These technologies provided consumers with real-time information about available system capacity and enabled automated control decisions through hardware attached to specific devices.
A modified firmware build of the open-source Bluebird Electronic Load Controller (ELC) was ultimately implemented. The system modulates the system frequency based on the actual load factor.
New modular printed circuit boards were also developed, incorporating various functional components. For this project, the modules could be configured as two different devices: (1) a comprehensive monitoring tool for data collection, providing data at half-second resolution on multiple electrical parameters; and (2) an appliance control technology that continuously monitors the electrical system frequency and calculates available power. This information is then used by switching hardware to activate or deactivate connected appliances, such as washing machines or freezers.
Financial Management
Different use cases were considered to cover the costs of the technology over the long term, including the perspectives of potential manufacturers such as Sibat and Tonibung, community-owned energy utilities, and private entrepreneurs residing within the community.
According to the modeling, the most viable strategy would be to bundle appliance controllers with productive end-use appliances that can generate saleable products or services, such as ice-making or laundry services. These micro-enterprises could then be operated by community members to generate revenue that offsets the cost of the controllers while providing the benefits of increased energy use.
Environmental Issues
Load management devices reduce power outages and provide more reliable energy services from renewable energy mini-grids. This can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, such as diesel generators, while increasing the acceptance and adoption of the technology. The devices also maximize the use of existing micro-hydropower systems and ensure that the electricity generated is used more efficiently. Finally, improved maintenance can extend the operational lifetime of the systems.
Social Issues
As the project focused on technology assessment, research, development, and testing, no significant social impacts were expected. However, the project took into account community members’ livelihoods, aspirations, and ownership of appliances. As a result, appliances that could significantly affect overall system load and were considered a priority by consumers were included in field tests in the pilot communities.
The project also held discussions with micro-utility committees about the technologies and the types of businesses that could use additional energy to generate value for the community.
The field-test results demonstrated potential for future social impacts through increased use of refrigerators or ice machines and pay-per-use washing machines, which can generate income for community members.
Results
The measurement systems provided high-quality, high-resolution data and, when combined with SD card storage, offered an effective solution for collecting data from systems outside cellular coverage. The data can be used for maintenance, troubleshooting, research, and educational purposes, particularly for analyzing community load profiles. With further development, the systems could also form the basis of an open-source energy meter or similar device.
The digital communication technologies developed through the project can be viewed as building blocks for further refinement of load management applications or for other applications where range or data rate are less critical.
The appliance controllers with frequency-monitoring functions were effective in determining available system capacity and were electrically compatible with a wide range of appliances. However, manufacturing costs remained a challenge, along with limitations related to application range and system compatibility.
Community feedback was also positive, particularly regarding the “traffic light” load indicators on the appliance controllers, which were designed to help users manually manage their appliance use. However, questions remained about the suitability of shared-use appliances in the pilot communities, where domestic use was generally preferred. Shared-use appliances may be more successful in less developed communities.
Replicability
Project partners Tonibung and Sibat developed localized ideas for applying the technologies and knowledge gained through the project in their respective program regions. These ideas were incorporated into their organizational plans, with continued support from Green Empowerment.
The project also documented the technologies developed and its research findings on a dedicated page on elcwiki.info. In addition, a webinar was held to disseminate the findings and stimulate interest in collaboration and further development.
Lessons Learned
- Collaboration with local partners and communities matters: Local knowledge and community networks were invaluable to the project.
- Effective communication requires multiple, appropriate tools and channels: Different communication channels, including wiki-based online instructions, worked well for communicating the circuit board assembly process to partner staff. Their feedback also helped improve the clarity and comprehensibility of the instructions.
- Time management is critical: The project demonstrated the importance of allowing sufficient time for implementation, particularly for data collection and procurement.
- A modular approach improves flexibility: Modular system design enabled troubleshooting and the development of individual sub-circuits without requiring a complete redesign and remanufacture of the system board. This saved time and resources during the testing phase and allowed common functionalities to be developed as reusable building blocks for multiple applications.
- Open-source technology can improve data analysis: SparkFun’s low-cost OpenLog device enabled large-capacity micro-SD cards to store numerous parameters at the required resolution for offline use. Python was used to analyze rural community load profiles and support system maintenance and troubleshooting by local partners.
- Technology limitations need to be considered: Building a high-data-rate network over several kilometers proved particularly challenging, compounded by infrastructure cost constraints and the objective of enabling local manufacturing.
