Evaluation of different grounding grid designs for Microgrid

Today with increase in use of microgrid, appropriate grounding design is needed for it. In this paper it is done by considering different grounding shapes for the MG. For this purpose, paper evaluates the performances of triangular, rectangular, square, L shape and T shape grounding design considering uniform and two layer soil structure. Influence of diverse designs on safety parameters such as touch voltage and step voltage are examined. Investigation is done with the help of ETAP based finite element method and for its authentification, results obtained by it are substantiated with analytical results obtained through IEEE standard 80-2013. As per the results obtained, triangular shape performs better. Also, this paper reveals the touch and step potential profiles for different shapes.