IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2017 - 67

a typical day, which begins with the distributed generator
system (genset) working (black line) and finalizing the battery charge (blue line). Then the demand is supplied by the
battery, discharging until approximately 20% of capacity
remains. When the sun rises, the PV plant begins to operate (red line), supplying demand and using its surplus
to charge the battery (blue line). The genset operates at
night to supply peak demand hours and complete charging the battery. Even if there are high power supply variations from the PVs (between 13 and 18 h), the difference is

✔ withstand technical, social, economic, and/or natural

hazards without losing its functionality
✔ keep a minimum level of supply to assure the supply
of crucial load and facilitate the potential recovery if
it is impossible to keep full functionality
✔ recover its operating conditions back to normal levels,
the same as before the disturbance.
In brief, a resilient microgrid maintains its functionalities as
best as possible before, during, and after a disturbance.
The three isolated microgrids are described next. Special attention is given to operation
features and reaction to unexpected disturbances.
Diesel
Genset
120 kVA

Huatacondo

may/june 2017

PV
Plant
22.5 kW

Wind Power
Plant
3 kW

Minor PV
Plant
3 kW

UCL
Track
UCL

UCL
PM

Consumption
xBee
kWh
Meter

PM
xBee

kWh
Meter

Drinking
Water
Plant
2 HP/6 kl

kWh
Meter
30 Houses

Pulse Counter ×5
(a)
Day: 7 November 2014
Active Power (kW)

This microgrid is located in the small
isolated village of Huatacondo in
the Atacama Desert, Chile. The
village's electric network is isolated
from the interconnected system,
and power was provided for only
10 h per day by a diesel generator.
A renewable-based microgrid that
takes advantage of the distributed
renewable resources in the area to
provide 24-h service was develop e d in 2010. Since the village
experienced problems with its
water supply system, a water management solution was also included
in the electric system. Additionally,
a demand-side option to compensate for generation fluctuations
due to the renewable sources was
considered. Figure 2(a) summarizes the microgrid, composed of
photovoltaic (PV) panels, a wind
turbine, diesel generators, a battery
bank, a water supply system, and a
demand-side management mechanism (loads).
The Huatacondo microgrid has
been under operation since 2010,
supplying continuous power to the
community. This available energy
has facilitated the development of
productive projects, such as the construction of cabins for tourism. In
addition, new organizational structures were created at the community level for the management and
operation of the microgrid over the
long term.
Figure 2(b) shows the operation
of the Huatacondo microgrid on

BESS
120 kVA
40 kW-140 kWh

GenSet

Eolico

PVs

INV-BAT

Dda

20
10
0
-10
-20

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Time (h)

Off

GenSet

State of Charge
100%

20%
Discharge

Battery

Charge

80%
50%
Discharge
Charge

(b)

figure 2. The Huatacondo microgrid: (a) a diagram and (b) daily operation.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - May/June 2017