IEEE Electrification Magazine - March 2015 - 4

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

generation but are also able to export
of innovative technological solutions
surplus energy to urban areas wherfor islanded power systems, the
ever necessary. Further research, deauthors discuss a laboratory setup
velopment, demonstration, and debased on scaled test systems, which
ployment will be needed, however,
includes a set of applications specifibecause rural electrification is a comcally developed for such autonomous
plex multidisciplinary problem that
power systems. The laboratorial infrarequires a proper balance of technolostructure allows the testing of
gy, market mechanisms, human capisolutions and prototypes, both for
tal, and effective regulatory policies.
hardware and software modules relatBut there is no question that rural
ed to microgrid applications.
electrification will undergo a generaThe third feature, "An Overview of
tional transformation into a more
Rural Electrification in China," is coaureliable, affordable, and
thored by Zhaohong Bie
sustainable state in
and Yanling Lin. The auwhich new technologies
thors state that rural
Rural electrification
and new business modelectrification in China
is a complex
els are fully embraced.
has gone through a long
multidisciplinary
The second feature,
history, experiencing
problem that requires ministry changes and
"Advanced Control
Solutions for Operating
policy modifications.
a proper balance of
Isolated Power SysUsing primarily locally
technology, market
tems," is coauthored by
developed and manmechanisms, human
Helena Vasconcelos,
aged resources, this syscapital, and effective tem has gradually
Carlos Moreira, André
Madureira, João Peças
evolved to a dynamic
regulatory policies.
Lopes, and Vladimiro
combination of grid exMiranda. The authors
tension and exploitause the Portuguese
tion of decentralized loislands as a case study. Portugal has
cal grids, with strong state support.
two main groups of islands: the
Currently, approximately 98% of
Madeira and the Azores archipelagos.
the villages in China are electrified.
Madeira is located in the North AtlanThe usual manner for rural electrificatic Ocean, in front of Morocco, about
tion in most developing countries has
1,000 km from the Portuguese contibeen grid extension. However, China
nental coast. The archipelago is one of
has experienced alternative solutions
the two autonomous regions of Portuincluding grid extension from the
gal and includes the islands of Madeistate power company and distributed
ra, Porto Santo, and Desertas. These
local generation run by decentralized
islands are famous as year-round
power companies as well as supply by
resorts visited by many tourists, in
decentralized power companies
particular, in the main Madeira Island,
(DPCs) for remote or smaller townwhere many cruise ships dock. The
ships outside the regional grid. Out of
authors discuss the sizing of a fly2,400 rural counties in China, 716
wheel energy storage system for Porto
(30%) are supplied directly by the state
Santo Island and the exploitation of
power company, which owns and ophydro resources through the quantifierates regional or provincial networks.
cation of the technical benefits resultCertain DPCs interconnected with
ing from variable speed hydro
large grids serve 1,004 counties (42%).
pumping stations in Madeira Island.
The other 800 DPCs generate at least
In addition, the authors address the
70% of their energy using small hybenefits of introducing electric vehidroelectric power units and small
cles in Flores Island, in the archipelago
thermal, wind, solar power, or hybrid
of Azores. To support the development
systems, incorporating multiple

I E E E E l e c t r i f i c ati o n M agaz ine / MARCH 2015

technologies, which serve 652 counties (27%).
The fourth feature, "Building Resilient Integrated Grids," by Shay Bahramirad, Amin Khodaei, Joseph
Svachula, and Julio Romero Aguero,
asserts that community microgrids,
with the aim of supplying electricity
for a group of consumers in a neighborhood or several connected neighborhoods with close proximity, have
emerged as an alternative to address
the rising societal demands for electric infrastructures that are able to
provide premium reliability and
power quality levels while being economic and environmentally friendly.
The authors discuss the components
of community microgrids and elaborate on the benefits and issues with
the development of community
microgrids. The authors advocate that
community microgrids could be
deliberated as viable solutions to
pressing challenges of economy, reliability, and environment while providing unprecedented benefits for
local consumers as well as the power
system as a whole. Community
microgrids would be built upon the
existing utility distribution network;
hence, these deployments would not
be successful unless fully supported
by utility companies. As microgrid
technology becomes more viable and
advantageous, utility companies will
need to be more involved to ensure
sustainable deployment, to the point
that utilities could ensure benefits
and become promoters of community microgrids.
Commonwealth Edison (ComEd),
the electric utility company in the
greater Chicago area, has been recently
awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a microgrid
master controller with applications to
community microgrids. A selected
group of leading authorities from manufacturers, consulting firms, software
developers, universities, and national
labs active in the power and energy
industry will be led by ComEd in this
effort. This work not only provides

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification Magazine - March 2015