Status of Micro/Mini-Grid Systems in a Himalayan Nation: A Comprehensive Review

Ashish Shrestha,Petr Korba,Rojesh Dahal,Yaju Rajbhandari,Aayush Bista,Nasib Khadka,Anup Thapa,Anup Marahatta,Jiwan Kumar Mallik,Barry P Hayes,Francisco M Gonzalez Longatt

doi:10.1109/access.2020.3006912

Abstract

Nepal is a Himalayan country with its 83% of its geography being composed of hills and mountains. Around 22% of the Nepalese population is not receiving electricity through the national power utility and is forced to identify alternative approaches to electrification. The Micro/Mini-Grid (MG) system is one of the promising approaches in terms of cost, reliability and performance for rural electrification, where electrification through national power utility is not techno-economically feasible. However, various issues must be identified and considered during the implementation of MGs in a rural community. In this paper, numerous technical, social and management issues are identified and discussed relating to the implementation and operation of reliable and stable MGs in the Himalayas. To our knowledge, this is the first scientific work that presents a comprehensive review of Himalayan MGs and their associated elements. This article reviews the available research articles, project documents, and Government reports on MG development, from which a clear roadmap is constructed. From the comprehensive study, it is observed that the existing MGs are not adequately designed for the specific area, considering the local resources and local information. Based on the identified issues, some practical and efficient recommendations have been made, so that future MG projects will address the possible problems during the design and implementation phase.

Highlights

Nepal has enormous potential to generate electricity from different renewable energy resources, around 4.5% of the population is still out of reach to electricity [1]
One of the main reason behind it is the mountainous geography of the country; more than 60% of the population are living in the hilly area, resulting in complications in supplying the electricity through the national utility grid [2]
Thingan Miteri Hybrid MG was installed which is powered by 20kW Micro Hydropower Plant (MHP), 5kWp PV system and a 3kWp wind turbine, supported by battery back-up

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Nepal has enormous potential to generate electricity from different renewable energy resources, around 4.5% of the population is still out of reach to electricity [1]. Most of the control mechanisms in the Nepalese energy system are manual, and the restoration process is complicated and time-consuming Because of these numerous issues, rural communities are still facing problems regarding reliable and stable electricity access. In this scientific paper, the authors aim to offer comprehensive information on the existing and potential MG developments in Nepal and the South Asian countries. The issues that commonly occur in MGs of Nepal and other South Asian countries are identified These create numerous challenges to provide reliable and stable electricity in rural areas. Potential practical solutions have been discussed in detail so that the rural communities will get continuous electricity supply with a standard quality

STATUS OF MINI GRID IN RURAL NEPAL AND OTHER SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES

PROTECTION ISSUES AND THEIR SOLUTION

MG MANAGEMENT AND TRADING PRACTICES

CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MG

Findings

DISCUSSION AND THE