Design and Assessment of Unified Multi-Input Multi-Output Converter Based Islanded Microgrid for Rural and Remote Areas

Abstract

—This paper addresses an islanded microgrid (MG) for rural and remote areas (RRAs) that aims to provide reliable electricity, considering the challenges posed by geographical constraints on solar power generation. Solutions and development for specific applications in RRA, can’t form MG to fulfill all needs of RRA at once because their integration creates circulating currents, power losses & compromised power quality. To overcome this, a robust, techno-economical, low-maintenance all-in-one single-synchronized compact solution has been introduced for establishing and upgrading existing islanded MGs for RRA. The proposed solution is Unified Multi-Input Multi-Output (U-MIMO) based islanded MG (MMG), designed to support multi-location PV arrays catering to various loads. It has three-phase four-wire system, battery management system (BMS) and supports DC load/E-Vehicles. The objectives are to enhance the utilization of solar power, enable controllability of power generation & daily load demands and facilitate ease of implementation. The experimental results demonstrate that U-MIMO is effectively compatible with all types of loads (AC/DC), allowing the integration of PV arrays across multiple locations even in unbalanced irradiance conditions while maintaining the total harmonic distortion (THD) below 5%. This showcases the versatility and reliability of the proposed U-MIMO-based MMG for sustainable electricity generation in RRA.