The quality of life for the 750 inhabitants of Vila Restauração in the Amazon improved considerably, having transitioned from a mere 4 hours of electricity a day to an uninterrupted supply. Moreover, the energy they now have at their disposal is clean, as opposed to their previous reliance on a diesel generator unit.
The energy generation and storage system consist of four solar inverters with their respective solar panels; four storage inverters with their respective battery banks; two biodiesel generator units and low-voltage switchgear for microgrid automation and protection.
System operation
During the day photovoltaic power generation not only supplies electricity to the hamlet but also recharges the batteries that will come into operation later in the day. Therefore, during the night the hamlet is powered by the batteries charged during the day.
What happens when it is cloudy? When it is cloudy, the battery charge is low and the photovoltaic system cannot provide enough energy to power the hamlet and recharge the batteries, at which point the generator unit is activated to provide the necessary energy to the hamlet and also charge the batteries.
It should be noted that the entire operation of this microgrid, consisting of a generation system on the one hand and an energy storage system on the other, is automated.
This enables systems to be created in which photovoltaic energy generation can be adjusted by varying microgrid frequency to avoid overloading battery banks and meet the demand of the hamlet's residents, thus achieving a balance between energy generation, consumption and storage.
