Mr. Omkar Buwa will present his APS as per the detail below:
Date: September 13, 2024
Time: 0930 - 1100 hrs.
Venue: C-TARA Conference Room No.1
Guide: Prof. Anand B. Rao, Prof. Jayendran Venkateswaran
RPC Members: Prof. Satish Agnihotri, Prof. Albert Thomas
Title: Dynamic Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (D-LCSA) of Mini-grids
Abstract:
Global efforts to reach 100% electrification are gathering steam as a result of numerous plans and programs. Despite these efforts, 660 million people worldwide would still lack access to electricity by 2030. Most of these are rural settlements, where expanding the central electrical infrastructure is difficult and not economically viable. ‘Access to electricity’ issues may be resolved by decentralized systems such as "mini-grids," which are installed at the community level and run on renewable energy sources like solar. Community interactions with mini-grid systems and changes to local ecosystems may have temporal impacts on the operational sustainability of mini-grids. These interactions are complex since there are several interacting components and feedback systems. The conventional approach of mini-grid assessment studies (impact assessments) might not account for the complexity. System thinking is an effective technique for modeling the complexity of mini-grid activities. By examining the causal relationships among the interacting components (i.e. variables), this systemic approach aids in gaining an understanding of the operational dynamics of mini-grids with the help of causal loop diagrams (CLDs). The objective of this research work is "to develop a sustainability assessment framework for operational mini-grids considering variations in the ecosystems during the operations (dynamics over the operational life)".
During the two years of research work, the research questions and objectives were finalised. Terms like "mini-grid" and "sustainability" were defined. The potential contributions of system thinking and system dynamics to the mini-grid sustainability assessment were discussed. The topologies of the mini-grids that could be used as a case study were explored. The initial investigation was carried out to create an elementary causal loop diagram with the variables found in the literature and using the domain knowledge. CLDs must be validated to promote a thorough understanding of complex systems, improve stakeholder communication, and guarantee the correctness of causal links. Using participatory system dynamics modeling, CLDs may be validated while involving the stakeholders in the modeling process from time to time. The research work presented in this seminar investigates the modeling of operational mini-grids’ complexity using a 'participatory system dynamics modeling' approach. Additional pertinent topics covered include selecting the mini-grid sites, gathering and analysing data, and quantitative research work (stock-flow diagram development). The next research step after stock-flow analysis is to provide a comprehensive dynamic representation of the operational sustainability of mini-grids.