Design and Analysis of a Microgrid System in Grid Tied Mode Using ETAP

Renewable sources of energy has been recognized as alternative sources of energy for meeting the power demands. Among the renewables the major contributors in power generation mix are solar, wind, hydro and geothermal. Among them solar is the highest contributor followed by wind. Microgrid is an integrated network of distributed generation (DG) plants, loads and energy storage devices. The microgrid can operate in both standalone or grid connected mode. In this research work a solar photovoltaic based microgrid is designed to operate in grid tied mode. The power generation capacity of microgrid is decided taking into account the load profile of a rural area school campus. A load flow analysis and transient analysis is performed for the microgrid model using Electrical Transient Analysis Program software (ETAP). The load flow analysis is essential to identify the buses violating the voltage limits. A short circuit analysis is performed to obtain the bus voltage and bus current during both symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults occurring in the microgrid. The short circuit analysis report can be utilized to design the microgrid equipment for its protection and reliable operation.