A proposed power control solution for industrial application in decentralized energy production

Abstract

Communities and industries across the globe depend on decentralized power generation to ensure the availability and security of supply. As the world moves toward decarbonization, energy generation systems are increasingly turning to small-scale turbines or engines operating on hybrid solutions with renewables as a cleaner, intermediate step toward a truly sustainable future. The infrastructure of the main electricity network in Albania is very problematic and about 90% of the energy is produced by hydropower plants, increasing the dependence on rainfall. Based on this problem, in order to have the independence of the electrical energy of the industry from the main electrical energy network in the country, in this study is proposed a solution of energy control for decentralized energy production. The proposed solution interconnects groups of distributed energy resources and loads at a defined electrical boundary. It can operate in either island/isolated mode or networked mode. In a system consisting of a generator and photovoltaic plant, this automated solution guarantees minimum fuel consumption by maximizing PV penetration without compromising minimum genset load requirements. This decentralized system of energy resources is based on IIoT, helping to develop smart cities. Decentralized control support identifying and control of important challenges for our unstable energy grid. Beyond the technical hurdles, our energy grid also needs a new paradigm for resilience, protecting against natural disasters and cyberattacks.