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Optimizing Off-Grid Generation in Large-Scale Electrification-Planning Problems: A Direct-Search Approach

Author

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  • Pedro Ciller

    (Institute for Research in Technology (IIT), ICAI School of Engineering, Comillas Pontifical University, 28015 Madrid, Spain)

  • Fernando de Cuadra

    (Institute for Research in Technology (IIT), ICAI School of Engineering, Comillas Pontifical University, 28015 Madrid, Spain)

  • Sara Lumbreras

    (Institute for Research in Technology (IIT), ICAI School of Engineering, Comillas Pontifical University, 28015 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

Off-grid systems play a prominent role in rural electrification planning. The problem of optimizing the generation design of a single off-grid system has received a significant amount of attention in the literature, and several software tools and algorithms have addressed it. However, methods and tools designed for individual mini-grids are not directly applicable to regional planning, where it is necessary to estimate the generation cost of potentially thousands of mini-grids. Conversely, most regional planning tools estimate the generation cost of mini-grids with rules of thumb or analytical expressions. These estimations are useful, but they lack the accuracy necessary to develop a rural electrification plan. This paper presents a method to estimate the generation cost of any potential off-grid system in a large-scale rural electrification planning problem, which is currently implemented in the Reference Electrification Model (REM). The method uses a master-slave decomposition that exploits the structure of the problem and combines continuous and discrete variables. The algorithm is illustrated with a case study that shows that a direct application of a discrete model may lead to suboptimal results in large-scale planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Ciller & Fernando de Cuadra & Sara Lumbreras, 2019. "Optimizing Off-Grid Generation in Large-Scale Electrification-Planning Problems: A Direct-Search Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:24:p:4634-:d:294865
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    Cited by:

    1. Pedro Ciller & Sara Lumbreras & Andrés González-García, 2021. "Network Cost Estimation for Mini-Grids in Large-Scale Rural Electrification Planning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Akbas, Beste & Kocaman, Ayse Selin & Nock, Destenie & Trotter, Philipp A., 2022. "Rural electrification: An overview of optimization methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Eduardo Sánchez-Jacob & Andrés González-García & Javier Mazorra & Pedro Ciller & Julio Lumbreras & José Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, 2021. "Joint Optimal Planning of Electricity and Modern Energy Cooking Services Access in Nyagatare," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.
    4. Ting Wang & Qiya Wang & Caiqing Zhang, 2021. "Research on the Optimal Operation of a Novel Renewable Multi-Energy Complementary System in Rural Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    5. T. Chamarande & S. Mathy & B. Hingray, 2022. "The least cost design of 100% solar power microgrids in Africa: sensitivity to meteorological and economic drivers and possibility for simple pre-sizing rules," Post-Print hal-03740059, HAL.
    6. Andrés González-García & Pedro Ciller & Stephen Lee & Rafael Palacios & Fernando de Cuadra García & José Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, 2022. "A Rising Role for Decentralized Solar Minigrids in Integrated Rural Electrification Planning? Large-Scale, Least-Cost, and Customer-Wise Design of Grid and Off-Grid Supply Systems in Uganda," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-31, June.
    7. Pennan Chinnasamy & Aashni Parikh, 2021. "Remote sensing-based assessment of Coastal Regulation Zones in India: a case study of Mumbai, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7931-7950, May.
    8. Balderrama, Sergio & Lombardi, Francesco & Stevanato, Nicolo & Peña, Gabriela & Colombo, Emanuela & Quoilin, Sylvain, 2021. "Surrogate models for rural energy planning: Application to Bolivian lowlands isolated communities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).

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