Imagine a very small island without any proper infrastructure. The only way to reach it is by an hours long journey in a small wooden boat, which fits a maximum of five people and goes only a few times a week. Picture an area surrounded by swamps, so hard to access that not even light vehicles can pass through without getting stuck in the mud.
These are the places Ilman Sulaeman has worked in as part of his PhD research. His goal: getting reliable energy access to people in rural and remote areas, such as islands in his home country of Indonesia.
Ilman Sulaeman
PhD research topic: Power quality (PQ) issues in remote microgrids in Indonesia, with a focus on identifying the causes, effects, impacts, and consequences of various PQ events
Work: PhD candidate at the Radio Systems group, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) at the University of Twente
Education: Master’s degree in Engineering, Delft University of Technology
Originally from: Indonesia
Microgrids
To this day, about 685 million people worldwide remain without access to electricity. While there are many reasons for insufficient energy access, Sulaeman works on the technical part of this issue. ‘My research focuses on increasing energy access in remote areas through improvement of power quality,’ he explains.
More specifically, Sulaeman’s research revolves around microgrids and their electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).
Microgrids, localized electrical grids that can operate independently, have been one of the promising solutions for providing energy in remote areas, says the PhD candidate. ‘It is not a new technology and there are many companies that can build them, but making the system reliable and sustainable remains a challenge.’
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Many microgrids are indeed being built in remote areas, but in some cases, they only last a few years instead of decades. ‘Microgrids in Indonesia are usually based on renewable energy, mainly solar energy, but they face operational challenges and can fail quickly,’ adds Sulaeman.
Harsh conditions
The early failure is caused by the harsh environment, such as high humidity which leads to corrosion of equipment. The microgrids are also exposed to rodents and other animals, and are generally difficult to access, which makes it very challenging to maintain them properly.
‘These are all the issues I have encountered firsthand,’ says Sulaeman. ‘Before I started my PhD, I worked for a company in Indonesia which focused on sustainable energy, also on remote islands. When working there, I dealt with many problems which I didn’t fully understand. Although we could successfully build the microgrids, issues sometimes occurred during the operation, and I couldn’t always find the right solutions.’
Conducting his doctoral research, which is part of the Accessible, Natural, Renewable, Growth, and Interaction (ANRGI) Project, a collaboration between the Netherlands and Indonesia, helped him find answers to some of his questions, adds the PhD candidate.
EMC
Sulaeman’s research has shown that early failures of microgrids are often related to EMC issues – a link that wasn’t previously known.
EMC refers to a characteristic of electrical and electronic equipment that permits it to function correctly in their electromagnetic environment, without interfering with other devices or being affected by them. Electromagnetic disturbance, which is also known as power quality (PQ) issues, seems to be an important factor that has been largely overlooked until now.
‘The unique circumstances in the remote areas of Indonesia magnify the PQ issues, leading to accelerated failure,’ explains the UT scientist.
This is, for example, due to the difficult terrain, clarifies Sulaeman. ‘Because of the hard accessibility, it’s necessary to use long cables which worsens PQ issues. Corroded equipment also obstructs the path of electricity and leads to more issues. If there is a problem, it takes hours before a qualified engineer can come to look. By then, the problem can lead to a total failure of the microgrid.’
Reaching people
To prevent these problems, Sulaeman proposes having remote PQ monitoring. ‘EMC problems aren’t always directly visible and don’t always have an immediate impact on the equipment. We cannot see them unless we measure them, but they are there and lead to early failures of microgrids. If we have a dedicated monitoring system, we can see these issues and mitigate them right away.’
Ilman Sulaeman hopes that his PhD thesis will increase awareness of this topic. ‘Many stakeholders focus on building as many microgrids as possible, but they should also consider EMC. Ensuring EMC is as important as providing the energy in the first place, because this assures the reliability of the system.’
‘We aren’t just solving technical problems, we are helping people get more opportunities’
More importantly, the UT researcher hopes his findings will help improve access to energy for people in his home country – and increase their quality of life.
‘The number of people without electricity is significant. They deserve the same energy access that we have and that we often take for granted,’ says Sulaeman. ‘What matters the most is that we reach people. We aren’t just solving technical problems, we are helping people get more opportunities, better healthcare, education and livelihoods.’
