Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, on January 15, 2018, inaugurated its second microgrid project. Set up at Behlolpur, a riverine village in Vaishali district of Bihar, the project will provide reliable and quality power supply to about 1,200 persons residing in 220 hutments that were hitherto unelectrified.
The project is in line with the Government of India’s electrification program which aims to provide “electricity for all”. The project focuses on establishing a sustainable stand-alone off grid village electrification system where grid supply has not reached or is not feasible. Tata Trusts, GE, MIT, Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre have joined Tata Power-DDL to accomplish the vision of the program. The intent of partnership is to develop a self-sustaining rural microgrid which help in improving the quality of life, empower citizen and usher in economic development in the associated areas, a release from Tata Power DDL said.
Tata Power DDL’s first microgrid project was launched in January 2017 at Tayabpur, village in the Vaishali district of Bihar and is successfully providing electricity to 190 hutments with a population of around 1,000 people.
Tata Power DDL has supported the project by bringing together all the partners and providing for off-site requirements for the successful implementation of the microgrid. It has also played a key role in the identification of the site, development of the project infrastructure, etc.
Technology
GE has supported the project by providing a new hybrid power solution to supply high efficiency, reliable power to the villagers. The 12 kW solar panels along with 48 kWh battery set and 15 kVA variable diesel generation set are integrated into the system and will be put up in the first phase followed by capacity addition after successful operation and increase in demand. The plant is also enabled for operational control and remote monitoring using a microgrid controller built on GE’s Predix platform. Only maintenance charge for the microgrid will be recovered from the villagers/ consumers through nominal monthly charges linked to their consumption and usage. The project also has smart metering arrangement with load-limiting facility.
Project Partners
Tata Trusts supported with part of the capital cost for the project by providing funding for the plant site development and electrification network of the areas. MIT developed the software for the microgrid as an extension of the Reference Electrification Model (REM) integrated with Geographical Information System (GIS), which facilitates easy identification of potential area with population that does not have access to electricity. Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre has worked on the implementation of the turnkey project and would be performing the day-to-day activities for the operation and maintenance of the microgrid, the release added.
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