Master's assignment
Student: Stefano Nebiolo
Supervisors: Marco Gerards
Programme: Sustainable Energy Technology - University of Twente
Finished: September 2018
Different initiatives in the Netherlands facilitate the energy transition to achieve the collective goals that were agreed upon at the International Paris Summit. Smart grids are taking a major role in the energy management in the built environment to reduce the stress on the national grid and to optimize the energy generation/consumption more efficiently.
This study investigates the possible use of an islanded or semi-islanded micro-grid in the east area of the Netherlands, more precisely in a neighbourhood just outside of the city of Heerde, Markluiden. In this area, the energy cooperation Heerde Energiek wants to investigate this type of solution. A district heating connecting the houses in the district has been envisioned by local fitters that could be extended into a full island project.
Different islanded and semi-islanded micro-grid configurations will be designed, implemented and tested with the energy simulator from the University of Twente, according to the geographical and environmental conditions. The different alternatives have different requirements, e.g. a micro-grid powered without fossil fuels or a similar alternative for an individual house. The energy profile achieved is then optimized for different objectives (e.g. peak shaving). In this way, the stress on the micro-grid is reduced, increasing the stability of the system itself and keeping the power quality within legal bounds. With the simulation results, an analysis is carried out that compares the strengths and weaknesses of those systems. An optimal solution is then selected and considered for further developments and improvements.