Kiribati Distribution System Analysis for 1 MW OTEC Plant

Kiribati is an archipelagic state in the central Pacific Ocean. Its grid system operates independently like Korean grid system. Kiribati strives to provide renewable resources to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports. It uses solar energy as their principal renewable energy; however, a power generation method using ocean thermal gradient (OTEC) is considered more suitable for the country. In this article, the generator and PV systems were modeled, and then the entire system was simulated and analyzed before adding a new 1 ㎿ OTEC plant to the Kiribati system. After that, the simulated effective power and frequency values were verified to compare the values before and after the installation of the new 1 ㎿ OTEC power plant. In addition, the impact on the system was analyzed if the installed OTEC plant is not connected to the system due to a failure or repair. In conclusion, this study has proved that the load burden of the installed generator is reduced and the operation is stable in case Kiribati operates the OTEC plant.