1

AbstractThe paper reviews Indian Energy scene, challenges

ahead and solutions attempted. Conceptually, micro-grids may
play a useful role in the future evolution of energy sector but the
modes may be at variance with those of developed economies.
Renewable energy will play a major role in India with an
optimistic penetration of 20% in both grid fed and off grid mode.
The paper presents a generalized renewable energy fed micro-
grid system augmented by conventional energy in Indian context
to leapfrog on access for reliable power supply. Problems
peculiar to India will need India-centric solutions by leveraging
global technology.

Index Terms Climate change, global warming, renewable
energy, smart micro-grids.
I. INTRODUCTION
ITH Fossil fuel based power generation causing
unwanted emissions, this playing havoc with the
environment and threatening the future of the planet, search
for viable and deployable low carbon technologies to meet the
growing power demands of global population has become
imperative. Role of Scientists and Engineers is to make
Conventional Energy Sustainable and Renewable Energy
Available. Global warming and Climate change being global
problems, must be tackled with global synergy. Think Global
and Act Local is the Mantra, as solutions are not unique with
many local variants although we may evolve some generalized
philosophies. Efforts are made by different countries
individually and collectively to address this energy related
climate change issue. According to International Energy
Agency (IEA), about 1.3 billion people worldwide lack access
to electricity services with nearly 2.7 billion without clean
cooking facilities. 404 million people in India currently do
not have access to electricity and the daily average per capita
electricity use is about 2 kWh for connected population [1].
Therefore the major challenges in electricity sector are two-
fold: a) expanding access to electricity for sections of
populations not reached by the grid, and b) meeting increased
demands from sections of populations within the reach of the
grid [2]. Increasing energy efficiency is also a major challenge
for countrys power sector which reports nearly 26 % losses in
transmission and distribution.
Renewable energy (RE) sources such as solar, wind, bio
and hydro are considered attractive in this venture both for

The author is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, 110016, INDIA (e-mail:
ssmurthy@ ee.iitd.ac.in)

grid fed and off grid systems. A 20% penetration of RE in
electricity generation globally is considered necessary in the
coming decade (by 2020). RE by very nature is dispersed and
distributed and random too. Bulk of the global population is
also distributed making concentrated generation not always
desirable or feasible. Man needs energy to meet desired
quality of life in the form of heat, light and motion. In
developing economies with large dispersed population,
electricity is also a promoter of good education, healthcare,
agriculture and population control. Electricity is considered to
be the best vehicle to carry energy from source to the load.
Challenge of today is not only to produce electricity without
upsetting nature but to efficiently transmit and utilize the
same. Despite massive rural electrification plans, India has
nearly 54000 un-electrified villages [1], [3]. In most of the
electrified villages not only the connected households are a
fraction of the total but power is available on an average of 4
hours per day. This is not acceptable if electricity to all is the
motto with all ensured 24x7 power.
This paper aims at explaining a unified and generic
technology for power generation in off grid mode to energize
local loads using locally available renewable sources such as
wind, solar, bio and hydro (individually or in any possible
hybrid combination) in combination with appropriate storage
systems as necessary dependent on source and load variations.
A generalized Energy Management System involving the
concept of a micro grid is aimed at.
There is a glut of literature on smart and micro-grids in
recent times. One view is that a Smart Mini-Grid (SMG), or
Micro-Grid, is an intelligent electricity distribution network,
operating at or below 11 KV, where the energy demand is
effectively and intelligently managed by diverse range of
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as solar PV,
micro-hydro power plants, wind turbines, biomass, small
conventional generators such as diesel gen-sets etc in
combination with each other through smart control techniques.
Advanced sensing, communication and control technologies
are used in smart grids for generation, transmission,
distribution and utilization of electricity in a more intelligent
and effective manner. Such an application will not only foster
effective inter-connection and utilization of multiple
renewable energy resources but will also help in advancing
access to energy to the last mile in the most optimum way by
improving the efficiency of the overall system. It is believed
that the Smart Mini-Grid system has a great potential in large
commercial and industrial complexes, hospitals, shopping
malls/complexes, apartments, residential complexes,
S. S. Murthy, Life Senior Member, IEEE
Micro- Grid Integration with Renewable
Energy in Indian Perspective
W
2
educational institutions, remote un-electrified as well as
electrified locations to ensure maximum flexibility, reliability
and safety [4]. Broadly a smart grid is an application of
information, communication and sensor technologies for
effective generation, transmission, distribution and utilisation
of electric energy leading to a green solution. There are
varying applications demanding varying and often tailor-made
solutions.
The Objectives for developing such systems may be as
follows:
1. Study the nature of available sources and loads.
2. Develop suitable energy conversion systems from
source to load.
3. Study the performance of the above in individual and
hybrid mode.
4. Develop suitable controllers for the above.
5. Develop suitable unified (generalized) Energy
Management System to account for any types of
source and loads in any combination as per site
conditions.
6. Design and develop tailor-made systems for the
identified sites in India.
7. Install the demonstration units based on the above
developed technology in the identified sites.
8. Collect field data and make corrections as warranted.
II. REVIEW OF INDIAN ENERGY SCENE
At the outset it is apt to ponder over peculiarities and
paradoxes in Indian context which may resonate with other
similar emerging economies. India is one of the fastest
growing countries in terms of energy generation and
consumption. Currently, it is the fifth largest consumer of
energy in the world, and will be the third largest by 2030.
Current installed capacities in different sectors are given in
Table I. Present capacity of about 190 GW is set to grow by 7-
10% ( to meet growing demands) to about 300GW in 2020
and 800GW by 2032 mostly through coal (not green) needing
an investment of $150-175b annually, a herculean task indeed.
To meet the current deficit, consumers (mostly private) have
installed diesel gen-sets of a total capacity of 35,000 MW
which is not green, all operating in off-grid mode. Balancing
this growth with the demand to contain emission is the
challenge. Clean coal technologies such as use of IGCC and
carbon sequestration, though sustainable would need
additional investment. Renewable energy on the other hand
too would be expensive. While a unit of electricity through
coal would cost 6c, solar would be 4 times costly with other
renewables falling in between. One-sixth of the Indian villages
are entirely off the electricity grid. Amongst the other 500,000
villages with grid access, more than 50% suffer from
infrequent, erratic, low-voltage power [5]. Off-grid power
generation augmented by local renewable energy (wind, solar,
bio, hydro) in a micro-grid mode is therefore an attractive
option to energize nearly 125,000 villages currently off-grid.

TABLE I
ALL INDIA INSTALLED GENERATING CAPACITY (MW) AS ON FEB. 2012*

Type Installed Capacity (MW)
Thermal 124731
Hydro 38848
Nuclear 4780
Renewable 22233
Total 190593
*Source: CEA [3]
There are already many policies propounded on energy
front with reference to emerging economies. Integrated
Energy Policy prepared by Planning Commission (Govt. of
India) in Aug 2006 lists out the status and priorities for India.
India Energy Book-2010 brought out by World Energy
Council (WEC) presents the current energy status in India
with proposed action plans. CAETS (International Council of
Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences) has
recently (Nov. 2010) brought out a Working Group report on
Deployment of Low Emissions Technologies for Electric
Power Generation in Response to Climate Change, listing a
roadmap for all National Academies. This document presents
scopes and challenges in developing and deploying new and
relevant low carbon energy technologies to augment power
generation and achieve efficiency for developing economies
such as India. Electrical energy systems can fall in three
baskets- grid connected system, off-grid system and energy
efficiency. For power generation both grid connected and off
grid stand- alone systems must be considered using above
energy sources. Bio and solar energies can also be used to
obtain direct heat for suitable applications such as water
heating and cooking. Energy efficiency is a necessity in both
rural and urban sectors. Here again suitable technologies
become critical. The prime criteria for such technologies are
that they must be suitable, acceptable, deployable, adoptable,
economical and user friendly. The policy document of
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of Govt. of
India states as follows [6].

Off-grid applications are major Indian renewable energy
priorities. Such applications not only replace fossil fuels but
also make significant contribution to reduction in their
consumption. As such, the strength and potential of renewable
energy lies in its ability to generate power in decentralized
and distributed mode which has the advantages of production
at consumption points and does away with land and
environmental related concerns and problems. Accordingly,
Ministry has put in place a policy framework for rapid up-
scaling of off-grid programmes in an inclusive mode.
Rural electrification to meet unmet demand through
renewable energy is a priority by itself. 150 villages have been
covered in last 2 years through mini grid by rice-husk based
gasification systems in Bihar. The Ministry has plans to cover
about 10,000 villages from biomass-based systems and over
1000 villages from solar power up to 2022.

The Ministry would like to step up renewable energy
decentralized applications to save a billion litre of
diesel/furnace oil/kerosene annually after 5 years. Telecom
towers and industrial power generation are two focus areas to
reduce consumption of diesel.
3

Thus off grid power will become a major component of
sustainable energy and micro-grid may become inevitable.
India has initiated a National action plan on climate change
through following Missions [7];

Solar Mission
Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency
Mission on sustainable Habitat.
Water Mission
Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Eco-system
Mission for Green India
Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
Mission for Strategic Knowledge on Climate Change
III. POTENTIAL AND STATUS OF RE IN INDIA
Indias current RE base is 22233 MW and it is 11.66% of
total installed capacity of 190.59 GW (Feb. 2012). India
stands 4th in the installed power generation capacity using RE
sources. The Greenpeace International, European Renewable
Energy (EREC) report (March, 2009) has projected that by
2050; about 69% of the electricity produced in India will come
from RE sources. New renewables mainly wind, solar
thermal energy and PV will contribute almost 40%. The
country has an estimated RE potential of around 88,081 MW
from available exploitable sources as given in Table II.
Special features of RE are:
Non Portable except Bio Energy to some extent.
Generation must be at location of source.
Solar Energy is uniformly spread.
Wind and Hydro are location specific.
Bio is more uniformly spread, but of different types.
Technology must be economical, viable, acceptable,
maintainable and user-friendly (for non-techno savvy
customers).
TABLE II
INDIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AT A GLANCE (SOURCE: MNRE [8])
Indian Renewable Energy
Systems
Estimated
Potential
(MW)
Installed
Capacity (MW)
(Feb. 2012)
A. Grid connected
Wind 48,500 16179
Small Hydro 15,000 3300.13
Biomass Power 16,881 1142.60
Cogeneration- bagasse 5,000 1952.53
Waste to Energy 2,700 73.46
Solar PV and Thermal 50 MW/ sq.
km
481.48
Total A 88,081 23129.40
B. Off-grid
Waste to energy 92.93
Biomass (non-bagasse cogeneration) 347.85
Biomass gasifier 148.26
Aero generators/ hybrid systems 1.45
Solar PV (>1kW) 81.01
Watermills/ Micro hydel 2025 numbers
Total B 671..50
Total (A + B) 23800.90
A. Grid Fed RE Systems
a) Wind: Grid connected wind energy systems are installed in
large numbers in India, majority of them having unit sizes of
nearly 1 MW. All the major global players in this field have
their presence in the country and unit size of machines has
gone up to 2.5 MW [9]. Variable power dependant on wind
speed poses challenge for designers. They mostly use
horizontal axis turbines that drive a generator through a
gearbox to feed generated power to a local 11kV or 33 kV grid
through a transformer. Initially, fixed speed induction
generators were used and the present trend is to use variable
speed systems employing doubly fed induction generators
(DFIG) or permanent magnet (PM) synchronous generators.
Grid interface issues have assumed importance as power
evacuation levels are affected and mismatch or weak grids are
causing reduced energy production. There are many
technology and management issues in the Indian context for
up-scaling grid-fed wind energy to its full potential. A positive
feature is a strong manufacturing base of wind equipment.
Higher capacities require larger blades with taller towers with
associated material and mechanical factors. New technologies
on variable speed generators involving type of generators
(DFIG, PM) and power electronic converters need to be
adopted, indigenized and researched. A comprehensive study
on relative options for such applications and the extent of
indigenization and global cooperation is indeed warranted. A
study on interface of such wind systems with Indian Grid is
another critical area. While estimated potential is 50 GW
assuming 2 per cent of the land availability, undeveloped sites
are in low wind (4-8 m/s) regimes with poor evacuation and
transport infrastructure [10].
b) Small Hydro: Small hydro systems have great promise in
India. With a total hydro capacity of nearly 100,000MW we
4
may tap about 30,000MW under small hydro category that
requires minimal civil works and has little environmental
impact. They are classified as mini (a few MW), Micro (20kW
to 1 MW) and pico (upto 20kW). Higher capacity systems are
grid - fed while the lower ones can be off -grid to energize
local isolated communities. Grid fed systems are fairly
standardized with mature deployable technologies and enough
local industry base in terms of turbines, generators and other
equipment.

c) Bio Energy: Bio- energy widely available in rural and urban
sector can be an attractive source for electricity and heat. It
has multiple variants- solid, liquid and gas, convertible to heat.
In India, bio energy is estimated to have 25,000 MW potential.
Biomass power plants account for about 1000 MW of existing
capacity. Bio- energy attracts annual investments of over $40
billion, generates more than 7 billion units of electricity and
creates employment opportunities of more than 15 million
man days in rural areas [11]. Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW),
agro wastes, animal dung, forest residue, urban sewerage,
bagasse, biomass, bio-fuels (Algae, Jhatropha, etc.) are some
of the raw bio sources to be exploited. Waste to Watts is a
popular slogan that combines waste management with power
generation. Bio-thermal and Biochemical processes are
involved to covert sources to useable gas or liquid. Grid fed
systems of unit sizes of 1 MW and above can be installed.
There is indigenous potential in terms of equipment (turbine,
engine, generator etc.) and expertise. Security of supply with
price stability is crucial. Co-firing of coal fed boilers with
Biomass is an option to save coal. Bagasse in sugar mills is a
major source of co-generation. In view of multiple variants of
Bio-energy, there are many inter-related issues to be studied.
Conflicting interests of food versus energy call for judicious
actions. Social forestry, Tree to electricity schemes are some
exciting areas to be explored. Techno-economic and socially
viable sources must be identified that may vary with local
conditions. Standardization of technology and energy
conversion equipment for bio energy should be addressed.

d) Solar Energy: India launched the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in Jan. 2010 for
development and deployment of solar energy technologies in
the country. Solar energy under the Mission has targeted
20000 MW solar power capacity (both thermal and PV) by
2022, with current (July 2011) installation of 45 MW. The
phased implementation has targeted 1000 MW by 2013 [12].
Cost and efficiency are of concern that has limited its
widespread use for both grid- fed and off- grid systems. Solar
PV and solar thermal are the two routes. Cost of solar cells is
claimed to be falling to a level of less than$1/W. There are
many technological challenges for effective utilization of solar
energy Need for import of technology and equipment is of
concern for India as it affects energy security. Indigenous
R&D coupled with local manufacturing is the key. Present
penetration of solar energy into the grid is negligible.
Deployable technologies at global level on PV panels and
converter systems to interface with the grid should be
critically studied. Developing a solar energized dc micro-grid
is an attractive option that eliminates inverters and ac grid
interface problems if loads can be modified to work on dc
supply.

B. Off-Grid RE Systems
Technology requirements of grid-fed and off-grid systems
using RE are entirely different. The objective is to provide
quality power (constant voltage, frequency, balanced and
harmonic free) to the consumer at varying loads using
available local energy sources. Each source will have distinct
features on the type of power it provides. Bio energy driven
governor controlled engine will provide varying power to the
load as per demand by adjusting the input fuel to the engine. It
is a near constant speed variable power arrangement. In stand
alone small hydro units (say upto 100kW), typically classified
as Micro, Pico, Nano hydro systems, it is apt to use
uncontrolled constant power turbines with constant head and
discharge. Thus the generated power is always constant while
the consumer load varies. We need an automatic load
controller to ensure that controllable additional load is faced
by the generator such that the total output power is constant at
varying consumer loads. Wind energy on the other hand
provides varying power as cube of wind speed. Thus output
power must always match this wind power. We need power
balancers at all wind speeds and loads through dump loads and
additional source or storage system. In solar PV systems
power output is dc and depends on light intensity, this needing
a controller and inverter. We may also explore a combination
of RE sources in hybrid mode which may involve storage
systems like a battery.

a) Bio-Energy: Different types of bio- fuels can be converted
to liquids or gases to feed an engine to drive a generator which
in turn will energize the local load. System may be similar to
small Petrol/Kerosene driven gen-sets (1-10kW) which are a
common sight in domestic and commercial sectors. They are
installed in millions in India. Such units are in use in ships,
boats, camping, tourism, military and other stand alone off
grid applications. In these engines bio-fuel can replace the
fossil fuel. Power quality at generation, transmission and load
levels should be ensured under varying magnitude and types
of loads (1-ph., 3-ph, balanced, unbalanced, linear, non-
linear). Both synchronous and induction generator can be
explored with suitable controls. While petroleum is readily
available for use in engines, the user must install a system to
convert the available bio energy source to a form compatible
with the engine. Apart from sizing and design of the engine
for the given load, its performance with bio fuel must be
assessed. Suitable electrical system, comprising the generator,
control and transmission should be evolved. Unit sizes may
vary from 5kW to 100kW and beyond. It has near constant
speed prime mover with a typical speed drop of 5% from no
load to full load through governor control. Engine operates at
varying input power by adjusting fuel intake decided by output
power. Considerable R&D efforts on energy conversion
systems are made in Indian institutions (see references) with
great promise Due support may be provided for these
inventors for technology transfer and deployment for rural
energization using local bio- energy. There are some success
stories in India such as husk power in Bihar where power is
5
generated from rice husk for local communities [13]. A
comprehensive list of examples of Indian experience in bio-
energy may be prepared.

b) Small Hydro Energy: Micro or pico hydro units in off grid
mode can be installed for local loads for remote locations with
favorable hydro potential needing minimal civil works. For
off-grid applications it is apt to use uncontrolled turbine or
Pump as Turbine (PAT) in constant power mode since head
and discharge at turbine end is constant with specific water
head naturally available in a site. Since consumer power varies
randomly, surplus power should either be used or dissipated
that requires an Electronic Load Controller (ELC). Self
Excited Induction Generator (SEIG) deeply researched in
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), [14] can be a
good candidate for such applications. Based on the work of
IITD, a few units have been installed. The other variant of
hydro energy is the power in moving rivers and canals. A
vertical axis Darious type turbine when dipped in such canals
will rotate at low speed from which electricity can be
produced. The engineering feat demands proper conversion
systems and control to provide quality power to local
consumers. The task ahead is to consolidate the existing
technology, expertise and industry base to standardize on such
off grid hydro systems for large scale deployment in
Himalayas, and river basins. Defense and Border Road units
may find them useful in Himalayas.

c) Wind Energy: As already mentioned, both input wind
power and output consumer power vary randomly and the
challenge is to match them at all instances through a control
mechanism. In its simplest form connected load can be varied
through a switching mechanism to match with wind speed.
From typical wind turbine characteristics for different wind
speeds, we notice that at any wind speed there is one generator
speed at which extracted power has maximum value. We need
to have maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Type of
turbines, power transmission and generator should be
standardized. Challenge is to develop suitable control
mechanism for energy balance needing R&D efforts.

d) Solar Energy: India has the off-grid solar energy target
of 200 MW by 2013 and has projects of 45 MW sanctioned so
far. Within the off grid component, there is a separate target of
covering 20 million rural households with solar lights [15].
This is a system with no rotating components. Similar to wind
system power of the PV panel varies with the solar light
intensity and temperature. From typical volt-ampere
characteristics of PV panels we can identify one load for
maximum power. Here too we need MPPT and adjust the
load with the available maximum solar power. A dc grid and
dc loads can be suitable options here.
IV. PRESENT STATUS OF SMART MICRO GRIDS IN INDIA
India is considered a global leader in Information
Technology (IT) with large pool of professionals and experts.
This can be leveraged for smart micro grid development in
India for varied applications. The Indian Ministry of power
(MOP) is the umbrella entity coordinating this activity. With
launching of Smart Grid Task Force(SGTF) and Smart Grid
Forum(SGF) coupled with $900 billion in investment planned
for generation, transmission, distribution and power quality,
India is set for massive growth. But, several major hurdles
remain before the worlds second most populous nation
achieves widespread adoption of next generation electrical
technology. The report from Zpryme consultants [16] presents
a scenario as in Table III which indicates that in 2015 Indias
smart grid market will be $1.9 billion. Further, it predicts the
countrys basic electrical infrastructure needs will grow
beyond that, totaling $5.9 billion in the same year. India is
likely get $750 m from Asian Development Bank for its
national grid improvement project, including smart grid
innovations. The IEEE Standards Association predicts [17]
(Dec. 2011) that India stands third worldwide for smart grid
investment, behind United States and China.

TABLE III
INDIA SMART GRID MARKET VALUE BY TECHNOLOGY AREA (SOURCE:
ZPRYME [16])

Market Areas Estimated Investment in US$
million
2011 2015
Software & Hardware 247 339
Smart Meters 257 446
Sensors 137 236
Comm.& Wireless
Infrastructure
145 289
Smart & T&D
Equipment
234 392
A. Current Active Smart Micro Grid Services in India
1) R-APDRP: The Restructured-Accelerated Power
Development and Reform Program (R-APDRP) is a Central
Sector Scheme (CSS) during XI plan in India. The focus of the
programme is to support the modernization of sub-
transmission and distribution networks including a system of
local management and energy metering using IT services.
Projects under the scheme shall be taken up in two parts. Part -
A shall include the projects for establishment of base line data
and IT application for energy accounting/auditing and IT
based consumer service centers. Part -B shall include regular
distribution strengthening projects. Apart from this, the
programme will require enabling activities which would be
covered under Part C. The cost of this programme is US$100
billion [18].
2) Distribution Reform, Upgrades and Management
(DRUM): The objectives of the program are (a) to establish
the framework, institutional capacity and project development
functions at the central and state levels and (b) to enable
implementable of several full-scale commercially replicable
distribution initiatives in key reform states in India [19].
3) Indian Smart Grid Task Force & Forum: The Smart
Grid Task Force is an Inter- Ministerial group and will serve
as governments focal point for activities related to smart grid
and evolve the road map for implementation of smart grids in
the country. The main function is to ensure awareness, co-
ordination and integration of diverse activities related to smart
grid technologies, practices, and services for R & D. There are
6
5 working groups in the above task force. The goal of this
forum is to help the Indian power sector to deploy Smart Grid
technologies in an efficient, cost-effective, innovative and
scalable manner. The forum will coordinate and cooperate
with relevant global and Indian bodies to leverage global
experience and standards. Under the forum, eight working
groups have been formed [20].
4) Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS): The BIS has taken
the lead in adopting international standards (particularly IEC
62056 and IEC 61850) common in the global smart grid
community. More efforts follow as the nation becomes more
integrated and more able to transfer power across their
regional grids [21].
B. Current Smart Micro Grid Projects in India
The MoP has allocated US$44.3 million for smart grid pilot
projects across the country. Indian government is going to
finalize eight smart grid pilot projects worth US$ 9.69 million
by March 2012.
1) One of the high profile partnerships brings together
USAID, MOP, the Central Power Research Institute
(CPRI) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company
(BESCOM) for a pilot project in Electronic City to cover
around 17,500 domestic and business users with $100
million fund [16].
2) The Smart Grid Task Force is currently coordinating eight
pilot projects across the countrys national electricity grid.
For the next 18 months these projects will provide an
indication of what the overall framework for a detailed
national plan will be [13].
3) The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is partnering
with IBM on a project that would conduct a cost-benefit
analysis on various smart grid initiatives and the
deployment capabilities for smart grid technology by
National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency [16].
4) In India, managing peak load is critical as peak power
plants will add an untenable margin to the cost of
electricity in a developing nation. The Mangalore
Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) smart grid
project [16] will seek to scale back demand rather than cut
it off entirely, allowing customers to meet critical demand
needs while giving critical sectors un-interrupted supply.
5) North Delhi Power Ltd, (NDPL) a consortium between
the government and Tata Power, has partnered with GE
for various smart grid solutions. The US Trade and
Development Agency awarded NDPL a $686,447 grant
for a smart grid project in North-West Delhi intended to
reduce blackouts and increase reliability. NDPL is
considered a smart grid technology leader in India rolling
out smart metering infrastructure and automated meter
reading [16].
6) IBM has joined hands with IIT Kharagpur (IITK) and IIT
Madras (IITM) in 2010 to carry out research in Smart
Grids to develop systems that will make power grids more
efficient and resilient [22].

The fastest growing market segment is Communications
and Wireless with a CAGR of 24.9%, the 2011 value of that
sector is $144.5 million. Smart T&D will total $234.5 million
in 2011. Smart meters currently constitute $286.6 million in
2011 and are projected to reach $445.5 million in 2015. In
2011, sensors were $136.5 million while software and
hardware is estimated at $146.9 million.
V. A PROPOSED INTEGRATED OFF-GRID ENERGY SYSTEM
METHODOLOGY, POSSIBLE SCHEMES
In Indian context a micro-grid can have several possible
applications as below to transform the current unreliable
power supply to a reliable one needing suitable technologies in
each case.
A village or a cluster of villages
University campuses/Institutions, R&D centers
Hospitals
Island communities
Large Industrial complexes
Small townships
The envisaged technology development effort will have
different possible variants dependent on local conditions. We
may have units and systems from 5 kW (feeding individual
loads) to 1 MW (feed a community). Based on this experience
we may extend to about 50MW.
The schematic of the proposed micro-grid for the above
applications is in Fig. 1. Following are different possible
components in this off-grid scheme on micro-grid operation
and control involving hybrid sources within a micro-grid of
size less than 50 MW.
A. System Components
The proposed system components are:
a) Conventional Sources
Main Grid
Diesel Generators
b) Renewable Sources
Small Hydro
Wind
Bio Energy
Solar
Ocean, Geothermal (Minor Player)
c) Storage Systems:
Hydrogen
Fuel Cells
Battery
Super Capacitor
Pump Storage
Fly Wheel
d) Loads:
Domestic:1- Phase
Commercial: 1- Phase
Agriculture/Irrigation:3- Phase
Industrial- 3-Phase
The above loads can be technically classified as:
Linear
7
Non-linear
Balanced
Unbalanced
Dynamic

Fig. 1. Proposed Off- grid energy system on micro grid operation.
B. R & D issues
Typical R&D issues may be as below:
a) Individual device electrical design and control
Micro-turbines
Doubly fed induction generators
Inverter based generators
Self-excited induction generators
Permanent magnet synchronous generators
Induction machine and dc machine based flywheels
b) Non-electrical design of devices
Aerodynamic design of wind turbines
Biomass based turbines
Solar insulation characteristics and maximum power
point tracking
Spatial smoothening effect of wind farms
c) Loads
Statistical modeling of loads
Dynamic and frequency/voltage dependent
characteristics of loads
Load shedding strategies
Load management
System wide control
d) Energy management strategies
Centralized vs decentralized control strategies
Reactive power matching and compensation
Protection issues
Implications of hybrid sources on fault current levels
across the micro-grid
Interaction of micro-grid with the conventional grid
Interface design issues
Anti-islanding detection methodologies
Low-voltage ride-through capabilities

The micro-grid will operate with or without the main grid
thus ensuring 24x7 power to the consumers (loads). Energy
Management system must ensure balancing of power in the
sources and load with augmented power from main grid and
leveraging the storage systems suitably. We may have the
following practical schemes as particular cases of the general
model of Fig. 3.
a) Scheme-I: One source, One load - Here only one energy
source, conventional or renewable, is available which should
be used to generate electricity to energize the local load which
may consist of several loads of different types in parallel. Here
Energy management system will be tailor-made to the source
to effect power balance between source and load for off-grid
systems explained in sec. III. Diesel, Oil, or Bio-fuel operated
engine driven generating systems will need fuel control to
match with the load. For small hydro operating at constant
power we need load balancers to use power in surplus of load
either for storage or dump load. With wind and solar energy
load must be controlled on line to match generated maximum
possible power.
b) Scheme-II: Hybrid System: More than one source and one
load - Depending on locally available energy sources, Hybrid
systems may be developed often in combination with a storage
element to match the available energy with the load. Many
combinations are possible depending on local conditions, such
as Wind-Diesel, Wind- Bio, Wind- Battery, Hydro-Bio, Wind-
Solar, Hydro-Solar etc. Energy Management System of Fig.3
should be designed appropriately.
c) Scheme-III: Scheme with Diesel Generators (DG) - Modify
existing diesel system: Here the existing Diesel system
energizing a community (or load) can be modified through a
micro-grid arrangement using available RE along with storage
systems. Community is electrified with the grid created by DG
sets. There are hundreds of such isolated communities even in
developed countries like Canada totally electrified through
diesel. There are similar sites in India such as Andaman-
Nicobar, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep. Diesel may continue as
main source to create a micro-grid. Using the grid as micro-
grid in island operation and connecting RE sources and
Storage systems (as in Fig.3) diesel may be conserved and
community served with quality uninterrupted power.
d) Scheme-IV: Modify the existing unreliable grid-fed system:
Here we take up an existing grid fed system to a community
where the grid is not reliable. Grid is weak with regular
disconnections. The grid can be used to create a storage
system. During the period of power outages, the existing
distribution lines form a micro-grid to energize the same loads
using stored energy and RE. Here the main grid is used as
micro-grid in island operation.
VI. CONCLUSION
Indias Energy generation and consumption are on a high
growth rate. Climate change concerns due to emissions
combined with resource and infrastructure constraints
are dampeners. With nearly 40% of its 1.22b population
deprived of grid electricity, present 186 GW installed
power capacity may have to be doubled by the end of
8
this decade to meet energy needs of its growing population and
expectations of a high GDP growth economy. Off-grid power
generation for its vast dispersed population is inevitable and
renewable energy augmented by smart and micro-grid
technology should be deployed. Issues of RE for grid-fed and
off-grid systems reviewed in this paper may guide future
policies. India has taken several steps to adopt smart grid
technologies with its prime role in IT. Integrated micro-grid
system proposed in this paper if properly developed and
deployed will be a trend setter for such emerging economies to
pursue green and sustainable energy.
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S. S. Murthy (SM87 LS03) received his B.E, M.Tech and Ph.D degrees
respectively from Bangalore University, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Bombay, and IIT Delhi. He has been a faculty with IIT Delhi since 1970,
Professor since 1983 and was the Head (Chair) of the Department of Electrical
Engineering from 1998-2001. He has held visiting assignments in Univ. of
New Castle on Tyne (UK), Universities of Calgary, Ryerson &Waterloo
(Canada), IISc, Kirloskar Electric, GE Global research Centre, and Central
Power Research Institute, at Bangalore. He was heading a Research Institute
(ERDA, Baroda) during 1990-92 and a Technical University (NITK,
Surathkal) during 2003-05. He was coordinator (and instrumental) for several
international collaborations with UK, Japan, Korea, Canada and Australia. He
led the Indian delegation for Australia- India S&T Workshop on Sustainable
Energy (2006) in Sydney and organized Indo- Canada workshop on renewable
energy for electricity generation (2009) in New Delhi. He has nearly 300
papers and 8 patents to his credit. He has also transferred technology of self
excited and grid connected induction generators to industry for low and
medium power generation under standalone or grid connected mode. He
initiated several new academic programs at IIT Delhi and was instrumental in
establishing state-of- the-art energy audit and energy conservation facilities at
IIT under World Bank funding. His areas of interest include electric machines,
drives, special machines, power electronic applications, renewable energy
systems, energy efficiency and conservation. Dr. Murthy has received many
awards notable being ISTE/Maharashtra Govt. Award for outstanding
research, IETE/Bimal Bose Award for contribution in Power Electronics and
IEEE/PES Delhi Chapter Outstanding Engineer Award. He has made
significant contributions to professional Societies, such as IEEE, IET and IE
(I). He was General Chair of the IEEE International conference, PEDES96
held in New Delhi and INAE conference on Research Policy for Sustainable
Energy (2009), in Delhi. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of
Engineering (INAE), Life Senior Member of IEEE, Fellow of IEE/IET, Life
Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, India, Life Fellow of IETE and Life
Member of ISTE. He is the member of Energy Forum of INAE to formulate
global energy policies jointly with academies of other countries.