Objectives of the service
From planning to monitoring: the exploitation of satellite technologies in urban and rural microgrid life cycle.
MOWGLI is a satellite-based solution that provides a set of services for optimal microgrid planning, designing, and operations and maintenance (O&M) applications in urban and rural areas of developing countries, with particular focus on India use case.
The system aims to answer the following general needs:
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Energy availability: avoid under or over sizing, leading to un-correct grid management
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Energy reliability: grid must be stable, to avoid black-outs
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Energy quality: service quality, to avoid customer dissatisfaction
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Energy awareness: aware use of energy by end-users
MOWGLI provides four main services that fulfil the needs described above:
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Strategic planning (site assessment)
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Microgrid optimal design (renewable energy sources basket, sizing)
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O&M (load balancing, remote control, anomaly detection predictive maintenance)
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Energy awareness and payments services (pay-as-you-go, smart-booking, priority-booking, community leasing, tele-medicine, tele-education, O&M training)
MOWGLI value proposition
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Enhanced microgrid integrated services for strategic site selection, optimal design, and management of O&M activities
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Effective exploitation of EO satellites and SatCom images (provided by ESA)
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Best performance and end-users services by smart digital application
Users and their needs
The MOWGLI services involve benefit for the whole rural microgrid community:
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Decision makers (policy makers, funding entities, local entities, and regulators): the satellite-based services involve better microgrid planning (optimal site selection) and conveys better decision reducing economical risks and improving country rural areas development. Remote microgrid control, fault detection, prediction and notification based on satellite communications reduce the economic risks. Remote performance monitoring based on satellite communication helps the assessment of the socio-economic impact of the microgrid projects. Energy awareness service based on satellite communication facilitate socio-economic growth of the local communities.
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Microgrid designers and developers: the space assets will involve a sustainable microgrid project: the EO satellite-based service should involve better microgrid planning (optimal site selection), design (optimal sizing) and implementation (required technology procurement) helping microgrid designer and developers to achieve long-term sustainability and return of investment.
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Microgrid owner operators (MGOs): EO-satellite based Energy Management System by i-EM will support optimal microgrid management. SatCom links will enable in field data acquisition and operator interface by an automated remote control, fault notification, predictive maintenance, performance monitoring, supporting operation and maintenance activities.
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End-users: the end-users will benefit of high quality and reliable energy availability at reasonable costs, and they will be assisted by customer care services including energy secure billing digital services. They will also benefit from a socio-economic perspective fully exploiting the satcom link for of new commercial activities, safety improvement and tele-education.
MOWGLI services market/customer segments
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Microgrid (with/without anchor load: renewable based electricity generation up to 10 kW and supplying electricity through a Public Distribution Network.
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Minigrid: renewable based electricity generation up to 1 MW and supplying electricity through a Public Distribution Network.
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Solar Home System: PV rooftop systems up to hundreds watt.
Service/ system concept
The MOWGLI services and their main features are described below.
Microgrid optimal design
The MOWGLI TAILOR service is aimed to identify the best microgrid design, taking into account the local energy sources availability (exploiting EO images) and the sustainability, scalability, and stability of the microgrid to realize.
Main features
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Renewable energy assessment: solar, hydro, and biomass (e.g., forest) resources
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Microgrid sizing and design with best components choice
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Simulation of microgrid behavior identifying the best configuration
Output
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Microgrid tailored-design report
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Microgrid Feasibility Index
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Technical design
List of services enabled: Tele-education, Tele-medicine, Smart payment, Priority booking
Microgrid Operation & Maintenance (O&M) services
The MOWGLI MANAGER service is aimed to manage and monitor the microgrid, in terms of load balancing, black-out prevention and control, microgrid components fault detection and prediction, and sustainable maintenance strategy.
Main features
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Real-time monitoring
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Predictive maintenance
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Energy Management real-time System (EMS)
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Energy Management forecasting
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Load forecasting
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Extreme weather forecasting
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Energy thief detection
Output
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Information for O&M activities
Energy services and awareness for end-users
A set of mobile phone services for the end-users, for the customer care energy services and secure billing services, with the additional aim of improving the community energy awareness.
Main features
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Payment services:
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Pay-as-you-go
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Smart-booking
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Priority-booking
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Energy awareness services:
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Community leasing
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Tele-Medicine / Tele-Education
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O&M training
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Output
- Mobile and Smartphone application
In the following figure a High-Level system architecture of MOWGLI services, with the evidence of the i-EM components, the satellite assets (EO, SatCom and NavCom), the inputs required, and the services provided for each microgrid phase.
Space Added Value
Space assets envisaged for the integration in the targeted services
- Earth observation satellites
Largely used in all the services as a remote and reliable source of data: energy assessments, real-time for monitoring and forecasting inputs.
- Telecommunications satellites
Used as complementing solutions where local connectivity is not reliable, or not available at all.
- Navigation satellites
Used to pinpoint the geolocation of local mobile-phone users, to understand their specific behaviour and needs, thus extracting information to better match the community needs.
The two digital services, MOWGLI TAILOR and MANAGER, introduce a digitalized approach to each rural microgrid project phase combined with the effective exploitation of satellite asset-based information.
Current Status
Currently are under finalization the green field sites (one or more) and the brown field sites (more than five) for demonstration of the two components, TAILOR and MANAGER. Following states in India will be of high interest for demonstration and future uptake of the solution: Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orrisa, Uttarakhand (Remote hilly Areas), Ladakh (Remote Hilly Areas), Maharashtra.
The list of potential sites for demonstration will also include the key features that site can offer on socio-economic impact through the services. The goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the services and how it will be helpful for minigrid developers for better plant maintenance and system design. Performance report will be produced periodically during the pilot (that will start in the second half of 2022) along with user feedback on the services.
Prime Contractor(s)
