Implementation of a Stand-alone Hybrid Distribution Generation System for Rural Power Distribution Network

Rural areas face energy poverty where most of the population are dependent on diesel-powered generators with an operating time of 12 hours per day. Thus, this research aims to analyze and assess the performance on the integration of a hybrid stand-alone Diesel-Solar hybrid Distributed Generation (DG) on a rural distribution network at a specific project location of Pulau Banggi, Sabah. The technical, economical and environmental impacts as well as the optimal placement of the DG on the rural distribution network are observed. HOMER and MATLAB Simulink are used to simulate and analyze the DG system performance and optimal placement on a radial distribution network. The IEEE 15-bus radial system is used to represent the network. The simulation result shows that the operating cost, the fuel consumption and the harmful pollutant emission from the generators reduce. This is due to the integration of photovoltaic in the distribution system. Moreover, the improvement on voltage profile and reduction of the system losses are also proven in the simulation. This work contributes to the research field in improving electrification system of rural areas for future development needs.