A cost optimal alternative for district power supply through an integrated system

An automated distributed energy resource system supported by the main grid promotes optimization of resources and reduces the ever soaring usage of non-renewable energy resources. It is an economically profitable alternative for suitable sites as well. Today we require power systems that help us to immediately recover from an outage and disruptions. The renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are highly unpredictable and time-variant, making it difficult for an isolated system to balance demand with supply. However if main grid guarantees the required support, a microgrid system can cultivate sufficient energy to satisfy local demands. In this paper, we have proposed an integrated grid model involving solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbine generators as distributed energy resources for Kadapa district and illustrated the considerable economical edge it has in comparison with the existing grid dependent energy supplied there. Since the generation is a great deal dependent on availability of resources, this generation will be supported by the main grid. We have used HOMER software to calculate the optimal size and capacity of the solar photovoltaic panels and the wind turbine generators that will be required for the minimum net present cost incurred.