The micro-grid was designed to supply power to the 14 feeders emanating from the 11 kV bus at the 66/11 kV sub-station owned by the utility. The sizing of BESS was done so as to ensure that the power generated from the combined set-up was consumed locally within the distribution sub-station, thus preventing supply of power back to the upstream network, i.e., the 66 kV grid. The obvious reasons for selecting this particular site were the ample space available for installation of such large-scale micro-grids and adequate distribution network infrastructure to support the power flow through a micro-grid set up. The facility provides 75,000 m2 of area for large-scale solar PV and BESS installation with capacities mentioned above. The distribution equipment, including three additional 11 kV feeders, were set in place to supply power to the temporary health facility. In a few days of its operation, the load increased to 100 times. The facility required the distribution company to set-up additional power distribution infrastructure in place. A commercial category consumer, in-particular a healthcare campus which is one of the largest temporary Covid-19 hospitals in India having capacity of 10,000 beds, (roughly the size of 22 football fields) was identified to carry out the feasibility assessment. The study entailed detailed technical and economic feasibility of an urban micro-gird within the license area of an urban DISCOM serving electricity in a certain geography of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. An operational control strategy for BESS was defined so as to maximize the benefits earned from the system in terms of peak power purchase cost saving while operating under Energy Arbitrage mode. The power evacuation for system integration at the utility power grid level was proposed through an 11 kV distribution line that emanates from a 66/11 kV distribution sub-station that serves the area. A pre-feasibility study was carried out in this context which envisaged 8 MWp of solar PV potential along with 4 MWh of AC coupled BESS. One such operational use case was found to exist for a Delhi based distribution utility wherein an urban micro-grid can be utilized to redeem energy arbitrage benefits, providing black-start support, meeting RPO targets and improving quality and reliability of power supply. However, operational use cases at the distribution network-level can be unique and can change dynamically with time depending on demand & supply patterns, power purchase portfolio of the utility, customer-service obligations, etc. Recent examples of distribution grid failures in major metropolitan cities have established the need for black-start support at the distribution-level. Such 'urban micro-grids' have gained relevance in congested Indian cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai where power distribution equipment augmentation becomes a tedious task due to underground cabling, space constraints and right of way challenges. In an urban setting, micro-grids will help in synchronizing demand and supply and aid in improving quality & reliability of power supply. Flexibility and system reliability will be important attributes for any electricity distribution system operator and thus micro-grids will have a crucial role to play in both urban and rural set-ups. The role of balancing fleets such as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) will become important and gain prominence with falling battery prices and more arbitrage opportunities in power markets. With increasing share of renewable energy (RE) in the power system, the resource adequacy planning exercise for power distribution utilities or Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) is bound to change. Urban Microgrids – Plethora of Opportunity for City DISCOMs
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