Medhy Kayembe Kazadi, Narcisse Meni Babakidi
The decarbonization of isolated mining operations has accelerated the adoption of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) generation as a sustainable alternative to diesel-based electricity production. However, high PV penetration in isolated microgrids introduces significant technical challenges, including reduced system inertia, voltage and frequency instability, protection coordination, fault-current variation, and power quality degradation. This study presents a comprehensive technical assessment of integrating a 15 MW photovoltaic power plant into the isolated electrical network of the Société Minière de Dinguiraye (SMD) gold mine in Guinea using ETAP Version 22.5. A high-fidelity digital model of the mining power system was developed, incorporating diesel generators, medium-voltage distribution networks, transformers, industrial loads, photovoltaic generation, advanced inverter controls, protection systems, and an optional Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Five representative operating scenarios were investigated through load-flow, transient stability, short-circuit, protection coordination, harmonic, and renewable intermittency analyses to evaluate the operational performance of the proposed hybrid diesel-PV microgrid. Simulation results demonstrate that the integration of the 15 MW PV plant substantially reduces diesel generation while maintaining acceptable voltage regulation, frequency stability, rotor-angle stability, protection selectivity, and harmonic distortion within the limits specified by IEEE 519. The implementation of advanced inverter control functions and BESS-based fast frequency response further enhances voltage support, improves frequency recovery following disturbances, mitigates renewable intermittency, and increases the overall resilience of the isolated microgrid. The study confirms that large-scale photovoltaic integration can be achieved with.
@article{d941a9d5-db83-4ea0-95c7-baec0ea71acf,
title={Comprehensive Assessment of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Integration in an Isolated Mining Microgrid: Dynamic Stability, Protection Coordination, and Power Quality Analysis},
author={Medhy Kayembe Kazadi and Narcisse Meni Babakidi},
year={2026},
language={en}
}TY - JOUR TI - Comprehensive Assessment of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Integration in an Isolated Mining Microgrid: Dynamic Stability, Protection Coordination, and Power Quality Analysis AU - Medhy Kayembe Kazadi AU - Narcisse Meni Babakidi PY - 2026 LA - en ER -
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