A study of technical issues related to distributed generation

Abstract

Distributed generation refers to the production of electricity at or near the place of consumption. It usually consist of a generator serving a customer on-site or providing support to a distribution network, connected to the grid at distribution-level voltages. Properly planned and operated distributed generation can provide consumers and society with a wide variety of benefits, including economic savings, improved environmental performance, and greater reliability. However, there are always technical issues with regard to DG and the implementation of a Mircogrid. This project starts from a survey of existing DG technologies and then move on to a literature review of DG implemented all over the world. The benefits, uncertainties and risks associated with the technical aspect of distributed generation are discussed. Technical issues such as voltage and frequency, protection, reliability, personnel safety and power quality are also examined. Simulation showing the effects of conventional protection scheme being used in a distributed generation system is presented and some solutions to mitigate the problems are then proposed