Sustainable and Resilient Power for a Remote Island

The island of Mayreau is a tropical paradise in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Like most Caribbean islands, electric power for the island residents comes from diesel generators which is costly, noisy, and contribute to climate change. VINLEC the local energy utility, worked with The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to install solar PV and a battery energy storage system (BESS) for a more sustainable source of energy.

ComAp provided the microgrid control solution that enables VINLEC to maximize PV contribution and reduce diesel consumption while maintaining reliable power for Mayreau. The ComAp InteliSys NTC Hybrid controller constantly monitors the system and dispatches resources for the lowest possible fuel usage. In certain conditions, the controller can shut down all diesel gen-sets while the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and PV support the load. The controller will restart the diesel gen-sets when needed due to low PV production, high loads, or low battery state of charge.