Comparative Planning of LVAC for Microgrid Topologies With PV-Storage in Rural Areas – Cases Study in Cambodia

This paper addresses the planning of low-voltage microgrid by comparing its structure with and without PV and storage in a rural area for over 30 years. The comparison aims to minimize the investment costs and get a reliable system. First, the loads (households) have been surveyed in the targeted areas and their power consumptions estimated. Then, using the Shortest Path (SP) algorithm, the connections from loads to electrical poles are conceived for the whole network. Next, the Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) algorithm has been considered to balance the three-phase system. After that, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is employed to determine the location and sizing of PV and decentralized batteries. A centralized battery is set to store the reversed power from the network to the grid and provide the power back when the PV modules produce less energy. Finally, an economic analysis validates the interest of such planning procedure. Located in Cambodia, three cases studies are implemented into the proposed method to get the results. Based on the results from simulation, the systems with integrated PV and storage proves to have a better performance.