IEEE Electrification Magazine - June 2017 - 67

showed some instability and intermittent production. The
converter control parameters were adjusted to get an operation condition according to the wind. Afterward, the wind
power production was closer to the expected value. However,
in April 2015, the rectifier between the wind turbine and the
inverters was burned. The wind turbine has been down since
then, because there are no local technicians to fix it, and it is
very costly to send people over there to repair it. Applying for
an exchange of the inverters to an integrated real threephase inverter, including a new rectifier circuit has been considered. Maintenance costs due to the lack of local expertise
and accessibility are the main challenges in the implementation of renewable energy technologies at remote areas.

TaBle 1. The model characteristics for a

7-kW PV plant located in Sisimiut compared
to the one in DTu, Copenhagen.
Sisimiut

DTU

7.25 °C

11.63 °C

15.18%

14.96%

6,900 kWh/year

7,019 kWh/year

PV in Ilimanaq: A Large Amount
of Distributed Feed-In
Fifteen summer houses have recently been built in this
village, each with a 2.6-kW PV plant and a battery. On
sunny days, the combined PV production of these summer

1,071 kWh/m2/year

Tc: cell temperature; h: capacitor factor; P: peak power; and IT: annual solar radiation.

Monthly Production (kWh)

Photovoltaic Test Setup in Sisimiut
For the demonstration of photovoltaic (PV) frameworks in
Greenland, a household system was installed in Sisimiut,
which is the second largest town in Greenland supplied by
hydropower. Because of its accessibility, it was decided to
place this first grid-connected PV plant here. Investment
in PV systems from the perspective of private households
in Greenland will be feasible to some extent based on
three assumptions:
x
PV systems in Greenland will be subject to low temperatures, which will lead to an increase in their efficiency.
x
PV systems in Greenland will be subject to light reflections from ice and snow in many locations, which will
add to their potential yield.
x
PV systems will be more cost efficient than (some of)
the power generators currently applied in Greenland,
which will provide an economic incentive.
A detailed model was developed especially for comparing the Sisimiut conditions with conditions at the
Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The model characteristics of a 7-kW PV plant located in Sisimiut and DTU
are listed in Table 1. The model shows an expected annual
production close to the level at DTU. This is because of
the lower temperature and a higher albedo effect. The
monthly power productions measured at the 7-kW PV
plant located in Sisimiut are shown in Figure 3. For the
first two years, a significantly higher production was
observed than in the model estimation: 7,648 kWh. Compared to DTU, the production is nearly zero in the three
winter months.
The investment cost (2012) was significantly higher
compared to that of DTU (US$3,000/kW). However, the
maintenance cost is very low. Therefore, this technology is
more attractive than wind power. The feasibility for such a
PV system depends on the location and conditions given
by the local power company.

1,038

kWh/m2/year

1,400

Until 2 May
2013
2014

1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0

6 7 8
(Month)

9 10 11 12

Figure 3. Monthly power production measured at the 7-kW PV plant
located in Sisimiut.

houses greatly exceeds the total village load, leading to
spilled solar power. The local network operator wants to
utilize as much solar energy as possible, and thereby
reduce diesel consumption, without compromising power
quality or system security.

Bornholm Power System
Bornholm Island belongs to Denmark and is situated just
south of Sweden. The power system on Bornholm supplies electricity to more than 28,000 customers, with a
peak load of 56 MW ( J. Østergaard and J.E. Nielsen). The
Bornholm distribution grid is operated by the local distribution system operator, Østkraft. The Bornholm municipality has the goal to become 100% based on renewable
energy. The Bornholm power system is connected to the
Nordic power system by a sea cable. The single-line diagram of the Bornholm 60-kV power system is shown
in Figure 4.
Because the Bornholm power system is connected to
the Swedish power system through a single cable connection, it is expected to operate in island mode every second
year due to a fault in the cable or maintenance. In island
mode, the Bornholm power system can represent a future
renewable-based energy system. Therefore, a number of
smart grid projects and new solutions have been tested in
the system. The EDISON, EcoGrid EU, and IDE4L projects

IEEE Electrific ation Magazine / j une 2 0 1 7

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