Remote Microgrids

Remote power systems in all corners of the world number in the thousands, with the vast majority being powered up by dumb, dirty diesel generation, hardly a technology of relevance to the smart grid and fundamental networking advantages of the microgrid platform. Nevertheless, once distributed renewable energy generation (RDEG) is added to the mix, then these remote microgrids begin to look like classic microgrids. The closest analogy to remote microgrids funded by the U.S. government are the so-called “mobile microgrids” deployed at military forward operating bases (FOBs) in Afghanistan and Iraq, and other temporary or remote bases throughout the world.

Since these remote microgrids never connect to a larger grid and, therefore, operate in an island mode on a 24/7 basis, a greater need exists for energy storage versus other topologies. Many of these microgrids are designed to reduce diesel fuel consumption by integration of solar photovoltaics, a technology that is the primary driver for remote microgrids over the next 6 years. Pike Research forecasts that the global remote microgrid market will expand from 349 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity in 2011 to over 1.1 gigawatts (GW) by 2017, an amount that equals or perhaps even surpasses all other microgrid segments combined that are in the current planning stages or have already been deployed.
This Pike Research report analyzes the global market opportunity for remote microgrids in several key segments including village power systems, weak grid island systems, industrial remote mine systems, and mobile military microgrids. The study examines the market issues and demand drivers associated with adoption of microgrids for remote applications, assesses technology and implementation issues, and profiles the key industry players that are engaged in this fast-growing market. Market forecasts, segmented by application and world region, are provided for generation capacity and revenue growth through 2017.