International Journal of Administration and Governance, 1(2) March 2015, Pages: 27-31 IWNEST PUBLISHER International Journal of Administration and Governance (ISSN 2077-4486) Journal home page: http://www.iwnest.com/AACE/ Corresponding Author: E. Sheeba Percis, Research Scholar, Dr. M.G.R. E & RI, Maduravoyal, Chennai – 95, India E-mail: sheebaedwin@yahoo.com Microgrid for Rural Electrification – A boon for the developing Nations E. Sheeba Percis, S. Bhuvaneswari, A. Nalini, G. Pandisabareeswari Research Scholar, Dr. M.G.R. E & RI, Maduravoyal, Chennai – 95, India ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received 23 Feb 2015 Accepted 6 March 2015 Available online 28 April 2015 Keywords: Microgrid, Rural Electrification, Distributed Energy Resources. One of the ongoing social issues in today‟s world which attracts immediate attention is energy crisis. Some of conventional sources of electrical energy generation have become sources of environmental pollution which adds to the carbon dioxide footprint in the atmosphere. Also the nuclear power generation which gained momentum has also seen a darker side after the Fukushima disaster. This has led to the growing need for generating energy using renewable energy resources like solar, wind, biomass etc. and microgrid technology started becoming more popular. In India there are many villages where electrification is a challenge due to the geographical issues which leads to heavy financial constraints to the government. Microgrid technology is one of the viable solutions for electrification where the expansion of the main grid is either not possible or has no economic justification. The microgrid offers decentralized operation and control which helps to reduce the transmission burden on power utility systems. © 2015 IWNEST Publisher All rights reserved. To Cite This Article: E. Sheeba Percis, S. Bhuvaneswari, A. Nalini, G. Pandisabareeswari., Microgrid for Rural Electrification – A boon for the developing Nations. Int. J. Adm. Gov., 1(2), 27-31, 2015 INTRODUCTION The population growth rate and vast industrialization in India has led to the large gap between the generated power and the energy supplied to various consumers. Due to this there is a need for alternative solution to bridge this gap is required. Therefore microgrid is a viable solution to help many remote villages to be lighted up for their betterment. A microgrid transmits power over low-voltage distribution networks from various small generating entities like micro-turbine, solar power system, wind energy conversion system and biomass gasifiers. A microgrid is sufficient to supply electrical energy to limited number of consumers connected together through a common distribution network. Another advantage of the microgrid is that, it can be operated in either grid connected mode or islanded mode. The various features of microgrid includes apart from catering to thermal and electricity needs , in addition it enhances local reliability, reduce emissions, improve power quality by supporting voltage and reducing voltage dips and potentially lower costs of energy supply as seen from the consumer point of view. Seeing from the utility end, application of distributed energy sources enables to reduce the demand for distribution and transmission facilities potentially. From this it can be understood that the distributed generation located close to loads will reduce flows in transmission and distribution circuits with two important effects: loss reduction and ability to potentially substitute for network assets [1]. Another important feature of the microgrid is to provide a coordinated integration of the increasing share of distributed generation (DG) units in the network which facilitates the integration of renewable units and also improves the reliability of the network [2]. One of the case studies in the state of Bihar in India shows promising results. The study clearly shows that the costs of electrification by microgrids is comparatively less and financially preferable than extending the existing conventional electric grid. Also benefits of the microgrid like highly reliable electricity supply, reduction of transmission losses, expansion of the grid with smart features and feasibility of integrating renewable energy resources; it presents a convincing alternative to existing electrification strategies in developing countries [3]. Some of the developing countries focus on offering training to the rural people on social, environmental and technical components of using renewable energy resources such that rural electrification through the same will be a reality in the near future in large scale [4]. As mentioned earlier a micro hydro power generation system is one of the enabling technologies if the remote location is situated near a source of flowing water or a dam. Through the year many research and development in such a system was carried out and it is proved to be a potential option