Ecosystem Thinking: Creating Microgrid Solutions for Reliable Power Supply in India’s Power System

Microgrids are considered as a potential solution for areas in a power system which are experiencing challenges with providing reliable power supply. The challenges for designing and implementing microgrids are both technical and market-oriented. The technical and market designs for microgrids need to consider local conditions. To address this challenge this paper applies the methodology of ecosystem thinking and CSTEP factor analysis to systematically investigate stakeholders, value flows, current challenges and future trends in a selected national power system. A microgrid solution which provides demand response service to the main power grid is identified for solving the challenge of increasing power demand in the urban areas of India. The co-innovation risk analysis and adoption chain risk analysis are conducted to investigate the success rate of the identified microgrid solution. Simulations with Homer Pro demonstrate that the identified solution can improve the value of existing microgrids in the Indian market and can help solve the needs in India related to the power supply reliability.