Generator Requirements For Rural Electrification From Renewable Energy

Generator Requirements for Rural
Electrification from Renewable Energy

O. Dzune Mipoung1, P. Pillay, FIEEE2
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Concordia University
Montreal QC H3G 1M8 Canada
Abstract— This paper addresses the issue of rural electrification from renewable energy. A
brief introduction on biomass and wind electrical systems is given. The aim of this research
is to propose optimal electrification system design for rural areas, taking in consideration
conventional drawbacks in these systems due to faulty events in the power lines. This
requires suitable generators selection as a starting point. Some generator types likely to be
used in rural electrification systems are introduced, followed by a discussion on the
selection criteria. Simulation results of a typical electrification system for remote areas are
obtained to support the safety aspect related to the individual generator types, in the event
of accidental rotor motion. All simulations are done in Matlab-Simulink.
Keywords— renewable energy, generators, rural electrification.
I. INTRODUCTION
Electrical energy is an essential component in the developing process of any given location of
the globe. Therefore, rural electrification remains an important issue in many countries. More
often rural areas, which can also be seen as developing areas, are prone to several electrification
problems and a common alternative to this has been for decade the use of diesel power supplies.
However, diesel supplies are environmentally not friendly, less reliable and less efficient. A
better alternative could be the use of renewable energy sources (such as Biomass and wind), in
order to achieve optimum system design in terms of cost and efficient load demand satisfaction.
Rural electrification will always be a challenging responsibility, due to reasons such as:
- The dispersal of the villages
- The complications with grid extension alternatives
- The relatively high electrification cost, especially for customers with low expected power
demand
- The limitations of diesel power supplies as mentioned in the previous lines.
However, substantial amount of Biomass is usually available in rural areas, and wind power
generation systems are often installed in these areas. It is thus possible to design micro or small
scale ( ) power plants in remote and rural areas. In other words, local electricity
generation from biomass and wind could overcome the above drawbacks and provide better
economical alternative for the electrification system in remote and rural areas. An important
aspect when designing electrification systems for rural areas is the generator selection criteria.
This paper draws some convenient steps concerning the choice of a suitable generator for such
systems.
1
II. BIOMASS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Biomass electrical systems convert energy obtained from wastes in to electrical energy.
A typical biomass electrical system configuration is shown in the figure below.
Heat exchanger
Input
(manure)
Boiler Heat
Compressed gas
Biogas Pmec
Digester Fuel compressor
Digester system Engine Generator
Fig1.Components of a typical biomass electrical system
The system shown in figure 1 involves three main components: the digester system, the prime
mover (or engine), and the generator. The digester system produces fluid from raw biomass
resources. The fluid is chemically stored and transformed into electrical energy or heat.
Depending on the moisture content of the biomass resource, two conversion technologies can be
used:
- Thermo-chemical conversion (for dry biomass feedstock)
- Biochemical conversion (for wet biomass feedstock)
Biomass feedstock can be vegetable waste, sludge manure, farm waste etc. In figure 1, input
wastes are processed into the digester for cellulose breakdown. The retention time can be up to
two weeks or more. The output from the digester (gas) is used to drive the engine and the power
from the engine is used to feed the generator, thereby producing electricity. Some of the gas from
the digester can be used to feed the boiler for heating requirements. The system sizing would
depend on electricity tariffs, and is left beyond the scope of this paper.
III. WIND TURBINE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Wind systems convert the power available in the wind in to electrical power. The conversion
process involves two main steps:
- The aerodynamic power available in the wind is first converted in to mechanical power
- The available mechanical power is then converted into electrical power.
A typical wind electrical system is shown in the figure below, involving four main components:
the wind speed, the aerodynamics used to emulate the wind turbine behavior, the mechanical
system (transmission system) and the generator. The power from the wind is used to feed the
turbine and the turbine is used to drive the generator trough a transmission system. Electrical
variations at the generator’s terminals are measured and used to adjust the turbine’s behaviour, in
order to achieve an overall good performance of the system.
2
Tad Pmech
Mechanical
ueq Aerodynamics
system Grid
Wind speed t r
 pitch Generator
u ti
Control System
Fig2. General structure of a wind turbine electrical system
IV. GENERATOR REQUIREMENTS

Generators represent an essential component in the electrical systems shown in figures 1 and 2,
since they convert the mechanical power from the prime mover into electrical power. Generally,
depending on the type of load, single phase or three phase generators can be used. Among the
wide variety of available generator configurations, the followings types are suggested in this
work for rural electrification systems:
- Three phase induction generator (TPIG)
- Single phase capacitor start induction generator (SCSIG)
- Single phase split phase induction generator (SSPIG)
- Permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMG)
The selecting criteria of a suitable generator type for a given system depend relatively on
different factors, and might appear sometimes to be complex, depending on the case. Thus, the
approach shown in this paper can be used to support a generator selection when designing rural
electrification systems.
The following aspects can be used to select a suitable generator type:
- Investment cost
- Power range availability on the market
- Maintenance effort
- Reliability
- Safety operation
1) Investment cost
Investment cost is one of the most important aspects affecting any engineering design. Starting
from the cost of individual components involved in the electrification system up to the cost of the
overall system, careful considerations need to be made in order to optimize the expenses related
to the development of the system.
Induction machines are generally constructed using steel, iron, aluminium and copper. These
materials are quite affordable in terms of cost. Therefore, induction machines are widely
manufactured and overwhelmingly preferred in fixed speed applications, industrial applications,
and commercial applications where AC power line is available. In addition to this, they have
simple constructions. These are reasons why the cost of these machines is relatively low. For
applications requiring more than 0.5 HP, three phase induction machine have better cost.
3
Single phase induction machines are widely used in domestic applications such as air
conditioners, washers, dryers, fans, blowers, vacuum cleaners etc. This is mostly due to the type
of available voltage source (single phase). However, the widening use of these machines in
domestic appliances shows that they have reasonable cost.
Due to the higher cost of magnets, permanent magnet motors are expensive from the
manufacturing point of view. In addition to this, they require suitable drives in order to be
connected to power lines, which extend the expenses related to these machines on the utilisation
point of view.
Discussing investment costs of the generators types, a clear tendency towards three phase
induction machines can be found, followed by single phase induction machines.
2) Power range availability
Power availability is an important characteristic in electrical machine’s applications. The

manufacturing cost and the widening use of any engineering device are what define the
availability of that device on the market. Thus, it is obvious that not all machine types will have
wide available power range on the market. Three phase induction machines and permanent
magnet machines are available up to MW ranges. Single phase capacitor start induction machine
range is from fraction of Horse Power (HP) to 10 HP, meanwhile single phase split phase
induction machines are usually available up to ¾ HP. Discussing this aspect, three phase
induction machines and permanent magnet machines are widely available in term of power
range, followed by single phase capacitor start induction machines.
3) Maintenance effort
Any operating system needs to be maintained in order to ensure proper and adequate overall
operating condition. The ease of maintenance of a given system will depend on the complexity
level of the system. The more components available in the system, the more maintenance will be
required. From this point of view, permanent magnet generators would require more
maintenance than other machines, since they require additional power electronics components
(such as inverters, rectifiers, dc-link capacitor) in order to be connected to the grid.
Next, SCSIG will be of interest regarding the maintenance aspect, since they possess capacitors,
which are passive electronic components. Capacitors are fragile and can be destroyed if
overloaded. This will require periodical check up and replacement of the broken capacitor if
there is any.
With regards to maintenance effort, TPIG and SSPIG have better tendency. However, SSPIG are
only available for low power and single phase applications. Therefore, three phase induction
generators are more suitable in term of maintenance effort required.
4) Reliability
Reliability is another important aspect to follow when selecting a generator for rural
electrification systems. Evaluating the reliability of a system can be very relative, depending on
the given case. In this work, the reliability aspect is mostly based upon the assumption that
4
robust and durable components will be more suitable for rural and remote areas, since this will
minimise repairs time and maintenance costs. The investment cost, power range availability and
maintenance effort are sufficient information to conclude whether a machine is reliable or not.
These aspects (discussed so far) show good tendency towards three phase induction machines. In
addition to this, the widening use of these machines has resulted in easily found replacement
parts made available by manufacturers. Therefore, TPIGs appear to be more reliable, followed by
the SCSIGs, since SSPIGs are limited by their narrow power range availability on the market.
5) Safety
Safety is the most important aspect to be met when designing and installing rural electrification
systems. More often, electrical safety measures are discussed in many literatures. However,
mechanical safety measures are of great importance. During maintenance work on any type of
motor, rotor motion should be prevented in order to avoid physical injury caused by the rotating
parts. Failure in mechanical safety can lead to insecurity from the electrical part when working
with generators. For instance, due to their built-in field, permanent magnet motors can generate
voltage onto their stator terminals whenever the rotor is turned. Maintenance work such as roll
inspection, cleaning or accidental events which turn the rotor can cause this condition. This can
also take place in the event of an operator initiated coast stop, power failure, or upstream trip.
Table 1 summarises the discussed aspects for the selected generator types used in this work.
TABLE I
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GENERATORS TYPES
Generators’ type Investment Available power range Maintenance reliability Safety

cost effort
TPIG + + + +
SCSIG + - + +
SSPIG + + - +
PMG - - - -
In order to investigate the safety aspect related to the individual generator types as listed in table
1, consider the diagram shown in the figure below.
B: breaker
Load1 G: generator
T: transformer
B4
Grid G2
B1 B2 B6
T B3 B5
Load2 G1
Fig3. Small scale grid-connected power plant
Figure 3 can be a rural electrification system, in which generators G1 or G2 could be any of the
four generator types mentioned in the previous lines.
5
Lets assume that the breaker B2 is opened for maintenance purposes and there are maintenance
activities going on downstream of B2. In order to agree with the safety aspect as listed in table 1,
it is necessary to know how each of the individual generator types will behave in the event of
accidental rotor motion while B2 remains opened.
Thus, the diagram depicted in figure 3 is simulated for the suggested generator types using the
parameters listed in table 2.
TABLE II
SIMULATION PARAMETERS
Parameters TPIG SCSIG SSPIG PMG

Stator resistance(Ω) 1.115 2.02/7.14 2.02/7.14 2.8
Rotor resistance(Ω) 1.083 4.12 4.12 ------
Stator leakage 5.97e-3 7.4e-3/8.54e-3 7.4e- 8.5e-3
inductances (H) 3/8.54e-3
Rotor leakage 5.97e-3 5.6e-3 5.6e-3 ------
inductances (H)
Mutual L (H) 0.2037 0.177 0.177 ------
Rated power (HP) 5 0.25 0.25 -----
Number of pole 4 4 4 8
Synchronous frequency 60 60 60 60
(Hz)
Capacitance ------- 255 uF ------- ------
Magnet flux ------- ------- ------- 0.175Wb
Load 3*150Ω 150Ω 150Ω 3*150Ω
A. SIMULATION APPROACH
The simulation approach is done in such a way that all breakers are initially closed. So the
machine is excited as motor with no load applied on the shaft. When steady state is achieved, a
negative load is applied on the machine’s shaft, driving the motor into generation mode. Then,
B2 is open while keeping the mechanical torque applied on the generator’s shaft.
B. THREE PHASE INDUCTION GENERATOR
The steady state equivalent circuit of the three phase induction machine can be represented as
shown in the figure below.
Fig4. Phase equivalent circuit of a three phase IG
6
Initially, the machine been fed as a motor, will consume necessary reactive power needed for the
magnetizing circuit from the grid.
150
Tload
Tem
100
50
torques (Nm)
-50
-100
-150
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig5. Torque response
Figure 5 shows the simulated torque response for the three phase induction generator. The
machine is first excited as a motor with no load. A negative torque is applied on the shaft at 1s
and the breaker B2 is opened at 2.5s.
80
60
40
20
line current (A)
-20
-40
-60
-80
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig6. Current in the breaker B2
7
Figure 6 shows the resulting current in the breaker and figure 7, the stator current for one phase
of the machine. Notice that at 1s, when the negative load is applied on the machine’s shaft, the
stator current increases (generation mode).
60
40
stator phase current (A)
20
-20
-40
-60
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

time (s)
Fig7. Stator phase current
Figure 8 shows the voltage across load. The load is modelled as three phase start connected
resistive bank (balanced system).
500
400
300
200
voltage load2 (V)
100
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig8. Load voltage
8
It appears from these results that, no voltage is present across the machine’s terminals when the
breaker is opened, even though the mechanical power is still available on the rotor shaft.
C. SINGLE PHASE CAPACITOR START INDUCTION GENERATOR
The electrical circuit of the single capacitor start induction machine is shown in the figure below.
It is made of a main winding, an auxiliary winding, a capacitor, and a centrifugal switch. The
capacitor is used to achieve maximum starting torque.
SW
vs
LM
C
LA
Cage
Fig9. Electrical circuit of the SCSIG
The simulation approach is similar to the previous case, with single phase resistive load.
10
developed torque
8 load torque
2
torques (Nm)
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
9
As shown on figure 10, the machine starts with no load on the shaft. At 0.5s, the capacitor is
disconnected from the circuit. At 1.5s a load torque is applied on the shaft. Once the machine is
in generation mode, the breaker B2 is open at 2.5s.
30
20
10
phase current (A)
-10
-20
-30
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig11. Current in the breaker
Figure 11 shows the resulting current in the breaker and figure 12 the current in the machine
windings. Similarly to the previous case, it appears from these results that no voltage is present
across the single phase capacitor start induction generator once the breaker is opened. However,
it is important to keep in mind that voltage should be present across the capacitor even with the
auxiliary switch and the breaker opened, as shown in figure 13.
10
20
main winding current
auxiliary winding current
15
10
5
currents (A)
-5
-10
-15
-20
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig12. Current in the machine windings
150
100
50
capacitor voltage (V)
-50
-100
-150
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig13. Capacitor voltage
D. SINGLE PHASE SPLIT PHASE INDUCTION GENERATOR

The single phase split phase induction machine is quite similar to the single phase capacitor start
induction machine, except for the fact that there is no capacitor in the auxiliary branch.
11
vs LM
SW
LA
Cage
Fig14. Electrical circuit of the SSPIG
The simulation steps applied in this case are similar to those of the single phase capacitor start
induction machine.
8
developed torque
load torque
6
2
torques (Nm)
-2
-4
-6
-8
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig15. Simulated torques
12
40
30
20
phase current (A)
10
-10
-20
-30
-40
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Initially, the machine runs as a motor with no load coupled on the shaft. The switch is opened at
1.5s and the mechanical torque is applied on the shaft at 2.5s, as shown on figure 15. This
explained why the current in the stator winding increases at 2.5s as shown on figure 17. Once the
machine is in generation mode, the breaker is opened at 3.5s. Figure 16 shows the current in the
breaker. As a result of this simulation, no voltage is generated by the single phase split phase
induction generator when the breaker is opened, providing that the rotor is in motion still.
25
main winding current
20 auxiliary winding current
15
10
5
currents (A)
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig17. Current in the machine windings
13
E. PERMANENT MAGNET SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR

A typical configuration of the permanent magnet generator is shown in the figure below.
Fig18. Typical configuration of PM generator system
The generator is connected to the grid through a converter which serves to control the rotor
frequency.
Figure 19 shows the torque applied on the machine’s shaft. At 1s, the machine is driven in to
generation mode. Then, the breaker is opened at 2.5s.
20
developed torque
load torque
15
10
5
torques (Nm)
-5
-10
-15
-20
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
14
The current flowing through the breaker B2 is shown in the figure below.
20
15
10
5
line current (A)
-5
-10
-15
-20
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Figures 21 and 22 show the stator current and the load voltage respectively. It results from these
figures that, the PM generator will continue to generate voltage from the moment the breaker is
opened, providing that the rotor is in motion.
20
15
10
stator phase current (A)
-5
-10
-15
-20
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig21. Stator phase current
15
250
200
150
100
load voltage (V)
50
-50
-100
-150
-200
-250
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
time (s)
Fig22. Load voltage
From the safety point of view, the obtained simulation results show that permanent magnet
machines required more attention in their applications, since accidental rotor motion will result
in generated voltage across the machine’s terminal. Single phase capacitor start induction
machines do not generate any voltage under the same conditions. However, the voltage stored in
the capacitor calls for more attention on safety when dealing with these machines.
Discussing safety aspect, three phase induction machine and single phase split phase induction
machine provide better features. However, single phase split phase induction machines are
limited in terms of available power range.
V- CONCLUSION
This paper discusses the issue of rural electrification from renewable energy. An important step
when designing rural electrification system is the generator selection. Four generators types
likely to be used for rural electrification systems are proposed in this work. Different aspects
which can be used to select a suitable generator for a given system are discussed. Simulation
results performed to support the safety aspect of the individual generator types are presented.
The analysis presented in this paper shows an overall tendency towards three phase induction
generators. In application requiring high power density and better efficiency, permanent magnet
machines can be suitable, despite the high cost related to their use, meanwhile single phase
capacitor start induction generators will be more suitable for single phase applications up to 10
HP.
16
VI- REFERENCES
[1] Frede Blaabjerg, et. al, “Comparison of Variable Speed Drives for Single-Phase
Induction Motors”. Power Conversion Conference 2002, PCC Osaka 2002, Proceedings
of the Volume 3, 2-5 April 2002 Page(s):1328-1333 vol. 3.
[2] P. C. Krause, “Simulation of Unsymmetrical 2-Phase Induction Machines”, IEEE

Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, vol. PAS-84, NO.11, 1965, pp. 1025-
1037.
[3] F. Mei, B. C. Pal, "Modeling and small-signal analysis of a grid connected doubly-fed
induction generator," presented at Proceeding of IEEE PES General Meeting 2005, San
Francisco, USA, 2005.
[4] Chinchilla M., Arnaltes S., Burgos J.C., “Control of permanent-magnet generators
applied to variable-speed wind-energy systems connected to the grid,” IEEE Transactions
on Energy Conversion, 2006, 21(1), pp. 130-135
[5] F. Mei, B. C. Pal, "Modeling and small-signal analysis of a grid connected doubly-fed
induction generator," presented at Proceeding of IEEE PES General Meeting 2005, San
Francisco, USA, 2005.
17

Generator Requirements For Rural Electrification From Renewable Energy

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Generator Requirements for Rural

Electrification from Renewable Energy

Keywords— renewable energy, generators, rural electrification.

Fig1.Components of a typical biomass electrical system

III. WIND TURBINE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Fig2. General structure of a wind turbine electrical system

IV. GENERATOR REQUIREMENTS

2) Power range availability

Power availability is an important characteristic in electrical machine’s applications. The

Generators’ type Investment Available power range Maintenance reliability Safety

Fig3. Small scale grid-connected power plant

Parameters TPIG SCSIG SSPIG PMG

Fig4. Phase equivalent circuit of a three phase IG

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Fig9. Electrical circuit of the SCSIG

D. SINGLE PHASE SPLIT PHASE INDUCTION GENERATOR

Fig14. Electrical circuit of the SSPIG

E. PERMANENT MAGNET SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR

Fig18. Typical configuration of PM generator system

[2] P. C. Krause, “Simulation of Unsymmetrical 2-Phase Induction Machines”, IEEE

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