GE Technology Powers Scalable Microgrid for Rural Electrification

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1 GE Energy Connections GE Technology Powers Scalable Microgrid for Rural Electrification An estimated 300 million people in India live in energy poverty, having little or no access to electricity. Villages with established electrical grids still experience several hours of outages every day due to a lack of reliable power. To address this issue, the government of India is implementing a massive program to provide electricity to all its citizens. Since many of these unelectrified areas are rural, this effort will require a power generation system that doesn t rely on the traditional electric grid but can integrate with the grid when it is extended into an area.

2 In response to the Indian government s electrification plan, a partnership led by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL), India s leading power distribution company, began developing a model for a self-managed solar microgrid. This microgrid will help enhance quality of life and provide economic opportunities for India s currently unelectrified regions. A microgrid is a small grid that provides reliable energy by generating power from multiple, integrated sources such as solar, diesel, or battery. In developing countries, they are an emerging power generation solution, offering flexible, renewable, and environmentally friendly power. Leading Tata s efforts is Tata Power-DDL, a joint venture between Tata Power and the Government of NCT of Delhi. Tata Power-DDL distributes electricity in the northern and northwestern parts of Delhi India s capital and secondmost-populous city as well as the third-largest urban area in the world. The company brought together the partners, provided the requirements for the successful implementation of the microgrid, and played a key role in the identification of the site, development of the project infrastructure, and community engagement activities. Project partners include Tata Trusts, MIT, Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre and GE the technology leader of the venture. Microgrids have evolved as their use has expanded. The India project specifically required a cost-effective microgrid solution that could be deployed and managed in remote areas. This is where GE s expertise and leadership in the development of microgrid electrical systems, advanced controls, and Industrial Internet capability converged to help make the microgrid project a success. The India project specifically required a cost-effective microgrid solution that could be deployed and managed in remote areas. This is where GE s expertise and leadership in the development of microgrid electrical systems, advanced controls, and Industrial Internet capability converged to help make the microgrid project a success.

3 GE Provides Technology Leadership Through the Tata Power-DDL partnership, GE has provided a new hybrid power solution to supply high-efficiency, reliable power to Indian villagers. The 12 kw solar panels along with 48 kwh battery set and 15 kva variable diesel generation set are integrated into the system. The solar panels will generate power to be used or stored in the batteries, while the diesel backup will take over during cloudy and nighttime hours. Multiple GE units have been involved in developing the microgrid model, with GE Ventures leading the overall effort and the GE Global Research Center (GRC) team based in Bangalore, India developing the system components. Sukla Chandra, then General Manager of GRC Bangalore; Brian Selby, Managing Director, Global Alliance Management, GE Licensing & Technology Ventures; and Kannan Tinnium, Technology Leader, Electrical Technologies for GE Corporate Research, spearheaded the project. Through the Tata Power-DDL partnership, GE has provided a new hybrid power solution to supply high-efficiency, reliable power to Indian villagers. A key aspect of the model is a unique integrated solardiesel-battery technology that uses a variable speed engine to help reduce operational costs. Advanced controls automatically maximize solar power generation and minimizes use of the diesel engine, significantly reducing the supervision of the microgrid. An Industrial Internet platform connects the system to the cloud, enabling remote diagnostics and analytics.

4 Challenge: Develop a Scalable Microgrid System The major challenge of the Indian electrification project was to not only develop a reliable source of power, but also to create a microgrid model that could be easily and economically replicated and deployed across predominantly rural areas. Visiting far-flung installations for routine inspections and maintenance can be time-consuming and costly. But systems like microgrids must be maintained to keep them running. However, if they are under-maintained, they may fail unexpectedly; if they re over-maintained, time and money can be wasted on unnecessary service. Industrial Internet solutions can address this problem by providing remote monitoring and diagnostics from a central location, rather than requiring regular travel to the individual sites. Travel is only necessary when the operating data indicates a potential problem. And, the remote data can help maintenance technicians understand the problem before traveling to the site, minimizing the time and cost involved with service trips. However, this remote monitoring requires Internet connectivity. Reliable wi-fi connections aren t available in the rural villages served by the microgrid. This meant that communicating this data was another significant obstacle. Industrial Internet solutions can address this problem by providing remote monitoring and diagnostics from a central location, rather than requiring regular travel to the individual sites.

5 Action: GE Industrial Internet Solution Enables Remote Connectivity Mini Field Agent Remote connectivity is the key to making a scalable microgrid platform that can be easily and economically deployed across a wide area. To address the need for remote diagnostics and analytics, GE deployed a Predix*-based platform featuring Mini Field Agent* technology from GE s Automation & Controls. Field Agents provide a rugged, pre-configured solution that enables customers to securely connect to and utilize GE s Predix Platform to easily collect data and send it to the cloud to analyze trends and uncover insights that improve operations and asset performance. Since the microgrids will be deployed in remote areas without Internet connectivity, data is securely communicated to and from the cloud via 3G mobile telecommunications technology. This is the first project where Field Agent data is communicated via wireless 3G technology. The successful use of 3G establishes that the microgrid model can be successfully replicated and deployed in other regions of the world that lack Internet connectivity. In the case of the microgrid, data including power, voltage, battery charge, fuel levels and other key variables are sent to the cloud. The operator can then analyze this data to determine if there are issues that need to be addressed. If problems are sensed, the right people and equipment can be quickly sent to the microgrid, reducing downtime and keeping power flowing. The Field Agent technology also enables a Digital Twin, a cloud-based computer model of the system that can be used to improve the performance and operation of the microgrid. Field Agents provide a rugged, preconfigured solution that enables customers to securely connect to and utilize GE s Predix* Platform to easily collect data and send it to the cloud to analyze trends and uncover insights that improve operations and asset performance.

6 Field Agent Technology Delivers Multiple Benefits According to Selby, the Field Agent technology differentiated this microgrid from others by making it scalable, secure, and able to incorporate third-party applications. The Mini Field Agent allows a developer of microgrids to scale quickly, Selby says. Operators can gain visibility into the daily operations of widely scattered systems while lowering the cost and complexity of service operations. The cybersecurity features of the Mini Field Agent are another advantage. Both large power companies and governments are increasingly focused on cybersecurity, Selby says. The built-in security features of the Field Agent technology provide a layer of data protection. The Field Agent has no open ports, uses encrypted channels, and features a tamper-resistant housing to resist unauthorized access. And GE is continually enhancing its platform security features to adapt to the continually evolving security climate. And finally, the Predix system enabled by the Field Agent allows operators to incorporate information and applications from third parties, for example weather information, that can impact power demand and performance of the microgrid. All of that information can reside within Predix instead of multiple platforms and vendors, Selby says. The Mini Field Agent allows a developer of microgrids to scale quickly. Operators can gain visibility into the daily operations of widely scattered systems while lowering the cost and complexity of service operations. Brian Selby, Managing Director, Global Alliance Management GE Licensing & Technology Ventures

7 Result: 10 Months From Drawing Board to Deployment The first microgrid was deployed in early 2017 in the village of Tayabpur, Bihar, providing electricity to nearly 1,000 villagers in 200 homes. It was commissioned during a ceremony attended by Tata Power-DDL senior leadership, government officials and residents. Both GE and Tata Power-DDL have deemed the first installation a success. We and our partners are learning a great deal from this initial system, Selby says. This information will be used to improve the design and performance of future systems. And, the development of the model illustrated GE s Fast Works approach. We went from a PowerPoint slide to a working product in 10 months, Selby says. None of this would have been possible without the boundaryless, positive and enthusiastic attitude of the GRC team. The microgrid project also demonstrated the benefits of the GE Store, where expertise and technology is shared across GE businesses to solve customer problems. A second microgrid pilot in a completely un electrified Behlolpur Village situated on an island in the river Ganga in Vaishali District, Bihar is scheduled to go on-line soon. Future versions of the microgrid will feature the capability of not just gathering information, but sending operational commands to the microgrid via the Mini Field Agent further reducing the cost of operating and maintaining the system. We went from a PowerPoint slide to a working product in 10 months. None of this would have been possible without the boundaryless, positive and enthusiastic attitude of the GRC team. Brian Selby, Managing Director, Global Alliance Management GE Licensing & Technology Ventures

8 Impacting the Future of Power Generation The initial success of the Indian microgrid project can have impact across India, and beyond. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd says, Today, electricity is recognized as a basic need for realizing the objective of sustainable human development. Rural electrification is a key component for facilitating economic progress, including meeting socio-economic goals and overall human development in the villages. Through the commissioning of our Tayabpur project, we aim to develop a novel solar microgrid model suitable to our Indian conditions and support electrification which is affordable and sustainable in remote areas. The learnings from this pilot will make us smarter and our technology and products better in the future. Sukla Chandra, Global Product Leader, GE Power Sukla Chandra, now Global Product Leader at GE Power, says this project will inform and improve future power generation systems developed by GE. The learnings from this pilot will make us smarter and our technology and products better in the future. GE Energy Connections Automation & Controls 2500 Austin Dr Charlottesville, VA or General Electric. The GE brand and logo are trademarks of General Electric. *Trademark of General Electric. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice GFT-906