The microgrid investment and planning in rural locations

This chapter presents different methods and tools for microgrid optimal investment and planning problem, focusing on specific methodological aspects addressing the challenges of rural microgrids design. In particular, three aspects of rural microgrids planning are analyzed: (1) the multi-energy nature of rural microgrids, where electricity coexists with other energy vectors (such as heat distribution); (2) the occupation of large portions of the rural territory, which requires planning methods to consider the microgrid internal network constraints; (3) the remote (and sometimes off-the-grid) locations of rural microgrids, which require security criteria and multi-objective approaches to be considered in planning problem. These three methodological aspects are discussed using the example of a real microgrid in Alaska.