Tezpur University Smart Campus: Performance Optimization during Grid Outages using Demand Side Management

he conditions of energy availability from different resources is depending on myriad factors like technological innovation, geographical prerequisites and market dynamics. In, microgrids, where often multiple energy resources are combined, managing only the generation side of the energy system is not always the most cost effective and sustainable approach. In this light, demand side management (DSM) has shown to bear great potential for additional improvement of microgrid (MG) performance. In this master thesis, three DSM strategies for the MG at Tezpur University (TU) are developed and evaluated regarding their potential for technical, financial and sustainability improvement. During a two-week visit to TU campus in the North-East of India, extensive studies (interviews, surveys, etc.) were conducted to establish the required knowledge, based on which DSM potential could be identified. The MG at TU consists of a grid connection, a PV installation and Diesel generators (DG). The development of DSM strategies is focused on the operation of DGs as they are subject to high operational cost. Major barriers for DSM applicability are the absence of detailed operational data, the complexity of required control systems and load prioritization. Office air conditioning (AC) units, the student hostels and the water treatment plants (WTP) have been found to provide suitable environments for implementation of DSM measures. The air conditioning outage energy control (AC-OEC) is a strategy for automatic AC unit shut-down during grid outages using wireless switches. The hostel daytime energy control (H-DEC) is a time-based approach to manage hostel loads during the absence of students. The water pumping energy control (WP-EC) establishes an alternative pumping schedule which allows the deferral of pump operation from DG to grid supplied time periods. By applying all three strategies, annual energy savings of 26.7% (49.3 MWh) of the DGs can be achieved. This corresponds to an equal share of CO2 emissions reduction (175.4 t) and reduction of operational cost (11,200 €). The total annual energy consumption of TU can be reduced by 4.4% (213 MWh), what corresponds to a reduction of 5.3% (24,600 €) of total annual spending on electricity and 4.3% of greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Over a lifetime of 25 years, accumulated monetary savings of 493,200 € at a payback period of the investment of 0.9 years are expected