THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could benefit critical sectors and even remote tribal hamlets that rely on localised renewable energy-based power sources, a team of researchers from College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) have invented a technology to increase the safety and reliability of electrical micro-grids.
Micro-grids are mini versions of the larger power grids that can supply electricity to a specific area, such as a neighbourhood, campus, or even a large building through sources such as solar energy. The technology that accurately detects ‘islanding’ conditions and faults in grid-connected micro-grids, has won CET a patent from the Government of India.
‘Islanding’ occurs when a part of the grid stays energised by local sources such as solar power during an outage. It is highly dangerous as it creates severe safety risks such as electrocution, damage to equipment and destablisation of the grid.
“Even under challenging scenarios such as fluctuations in solar power generation or unstable variations in micro-grid loads, the universal adaptive relay developed by us demonstrated precise and dependable performance,” said lead researcher Prof Rajeev T of the Department of Electrical Engineering, CET.
The team comprised former research scholar Divya S Nair and former MTech student Sindhura Miraj. The research was conducted as part of a project funded by NaMPET, with technical collaboration from Dr Vinod V, Associate Professor ay GEC Barton Hill and C-DAC scientist Aby Joseph.
The patented technology enables the universal microcontroller-based relay with the training knowledge to precisely detect and differentiate between ‘islanding,’ non-islanding, and fault conditions. The relaying technique has two operational levels: the phase deviation control technique that performs the first level, and the hybrid detection technique that performs the second.
“The invention adopts a unique hybrid detection approach capable of distinguishing between ‘islanding’ and non-islanding scenarios. This approach effectively pinpoints faults in grid-connected AC micro-grids. The system can also avoid nuisance tripping and unintentional islanding without compromising operational speed.,” Rajeev explained.
“Micro-grids are of immense benefit to far flung areas such as tribal settlements where drawing conventional power lines poses a lot of challenges,” said R Harikumar, Dir Energy Management Centre (EMC)-Kerala under the state power department.
The invention, he noted, would help in improving safety and efficiency of such grids. Meanwhile, the EMC is in discussions on developing urban micro grids in the state that would power critical emergency response and command centres, especially during times of natural disasters.
Holding promise
CET researchers’ universal microcontroller-based relay technology has won a patent
Invention effectively pinpoints faults in grid-connected AC micro-grids
Hybrid detection approach distinguishes hazardous and non hazardous situations
Technology avoids nuisance tripping and thereby enhances operational speed
The story is reported by Sovi Vidyadharan for The New Indian Express
