Micro Grids for the Philippines

Joe Joson , USA

October 10,  2014

 



Just what in the world are Micro Grids? Well , Micro Grids are electrical grids or electrical networks that are small, self-sustaining electrical power grid as compared to the usually huge and wide spread electrical grids that tie up whole cities of a nation and sometimes even across international borders to deliver huge amounts of electricity.

One great example of a micro grid that saved the facility a lot of headaches was San Diego University. When California was hit by a lot of brown outs, the SDU continued to operate using its micro grid. They had PV, gensets to back up power for the facility 24/7.

Now, with the advances in battery storage and the corresponding long term warranties that go with them and their ability now to support heavier loads for longer hours, micro grids are becoming a favorite for facilities, power producers etc. The gensets (usually diesel generators) do not kick in to provide power to the load, it is now the battery banks that serve as the secondary to the main power. Gensets simply recharge the batteries. And of course, with micro grids having this capability, we may just one day tell the utility companies to take a hike and be truly power independent.

Micro grids are ideal for the Philippines due to the many geographical challenges that we have as having too many islands, a ton of mountain ranges, difficult terrain etc.

Now compare the micro grids to the huge, old, rickety, rusty and EXPENSIVE utility grids.


The main electrical power grids or electrical networks of today are composed of 'the power source' or power generating units (generators) , the transmission lines that are in thousands of volts AC (alternating current)  or DC (direct current) , (in some settings) , that go for hundreds or thousands of miles to deliver electricity.  You see them out there using these really tall electrical towers with multiple cables . These are high voltage wires that go for many miles just to deliver the power from the generators to the end users like you and me.

Another section of this high voltage grid are the sub-stations . These are the components that drop the thousands of voltages down to manageable and usable levels for re-distribution to communities after electricity has traveled all these miles.

And transmission lines are neat. They are the means with which our electricity are able to reach our homes , offices , malls etc  even as  generators are hundreds of miles away. But transmission lines become a pain when you see the fees that you pay as part of your electric bill or worse , when these lines are downed by storms and you are left in the dark , not just for a few hours but days , weeks and in some places ... months.


Now comes the Micro Grids.  These come in many sizes and configurations.  What distinguishes micro grids from the huge grids is its lower voltage , lower maintenance , a lot less components ,  independent nature etc , better efficiency , less money to maintain , a lot more flexibility . The advantages are indeed huge and becoming very hard to ignore . What do we mean by Micro Grids having  Lower voltage: For the most part , usable AC voltages range from 480 volts down to 120 .  America's commercial voltages are in the range of 480-220,  3-phase or single phase VAC (Volts AC) while its houses use 120 VAC. Europe and most of Asia use 220-240 VAC.

And why , you might ask , do we have high voltages at the transmission and distribution levels? The reason is simple. With AC transmission over long distances , the resistance or overall impedance of the wires reduce voltage levels where they are no longer effective after traveling all these huge distances .  In order to keep the high voltage for long distance transmissions , voltages are stepped up using transformers , then stepped down to usable voltages when they reach their destination.

Now, if your power generation sits right NEXT to YOU, the end user being supllied , such as the case with Solar Power-generated electricity production,  all that waste of transmission is eliminated. Solar Power generation provides that beautiful flexibility.  Solar power generation can be done just about anywhere where the sun shines. And with Micro Grids we only produce the voltage that we need ON THE SPOT. No more high voltages in the thousands of volts and no more transformers that are huge . No more transmission lines , no more transmission fees. No more heavy transformers . No more substations . And best of all, no more brown outs. AND YOUR ELECTRIC BILLS WILL BE A LOT SMALLER. 

Micro Grids will be the power configurtion of the future.  Small communities as villages, small groups of buildings , privately owned compounds ,  small neighborhoods , camps , military bases ,  hospitals can have their own Micro Grid totally INDEPENDENT OF THE BIG grid  or they could be tied up to it.

Micro Grids do not have to be over complicated. In its most basic configuration , a Micro Grid could be nothing but two buildings or two houses hooked up together on a common power source using Solar. Connections and monitoring do not all have to be automated .  Disconnects could be manual .  

We are not trying to get rid of the huge grid. With the huge grid , power generating plants of all sizes and with differing distances from one another , with their strategic locations , give the whole network full flexibility.  When some power generating units are down or in repair,  the rest can take over and continue to supply power to their respective end users or loads.  Unfortunately our dependence on this very same flexibility could be our own weakness in times of great turmoil in a region .  If huge power generating plants are rendered inoperable due to natural calamities or civil disturbance , that whole region then pulls power from those that are still in operation . Now , if the transmission lines are destroyed, that whole region is 'dead in the water'.

With Micro Grids designed to supporting key locations , cities using PV or solar power systems, this equation radically changes.  As the huge power generating units are rendered inoperable or are cut off from the main grid, the small units stay online by themselves , supporting their own needs or even the needs of their immediate neighboring Micro Grids.   Communications are intact , key governmental functions continue to operate ,  homes can be supplied .  Hospitals will run un-interrupted.

And best of all, small communities or barangays, who have linked their solar power systems into a micro grid will have a lot better chance at having power after natural disasters. 

The present high voltage infrastructure can continue to serve a purpose.   They can continue to serve as a simple link to all the Micro Grids. Links are in the form of locally and remotely operated circuit breakers .  They can be manually or electrically operated huge circuit breakers.  This gives communties and whole nations true flexibility in times of emergencies. 

In nations comprising of many islands like the Philippines , Micro Grids are ideal.  Most of the far flung villages and towns are separated from  each other by oceans and mountain ranges.  As we speak , Mindanao is still operating separately from the main grid of Luzon and the Visayas.  The HVDC (High Voltage DC)  systems that have been continuously adding high voltage lines to the islands of the Visayas and Luzon have yet to connect Mindanao to the main grid.  This explains why Mindanao is the hardest hit with brown outs . Mindanao is unable to tap into the energy sources of Luzon and the Visayas.  It is short of some 400 or so Megawatts or more. With Micro Grids the whole of Mindanao can be self-sustaining with its own power needs whether it ties up directly to the main grid of Luzon or not.

With Micro Grids , islands like Catanduanes which catch national attention every year for its very high power rates and an almost predictable power outages especially during the summer months , will no longer have to experience this perennial pests called brown outs.

Small villages , small groups of homes , housing developments can set up their own Micro Grid and be truly power independent and save energy costs over the long haul.

Joe Joson

714 348 2661

Marketing: FVV Electrical , Orange, CA

Communications, Marketing, Consulting

Lim Solar Philippines 

Mendoza Solar , LLC -California/Nevada Corporation

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