RePower, formally known as "Improving Renewables Penetration Through Plug and Play Microgrids," aims to enhance the penetration of renewable energy in rural communities in Madagascar, Niger, Senegal and Ghana. Nearly 800 million people, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to Contact online >>
RePower, formally known as "Improving Renewables Penetration Through Plug and Play Microgrids," aims to enhance the penetration of renewable energy in rural communities in Madagascar, Niger, Senegal and Ghana. Nearly 800 million people, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to electricity.
In the longer term, solar microgrids in Senegal will provide access to enough reliable electricity to transform communities, creating a higher quality of life and economic growth. 7 villages, 3,000 residents to access reliable solar. Non-profit organization Solar Village Project is now bringing solar microgrids to Senegal.
The ASER300 project in Senegal uses mini-grid systems from Asantys Systems and Off-Grid Europe with SMA''s Sunny Island battery inverters. The system comprises PV modules, PV and battery inverters, batteries, control technology and a cooling system.
Empowering communities and local businesses with renewable energy. RePower aims to bring renewable electricity to 20,000 off-grid customers in Madagascar, Niger, Senegal and Ghana by 2027. Among the projects featured in the organization''s webinar was a series of 27 containerized microgrids developed by Africa GreenTec.
The RePower project aims to improve access to electricity in rural Africa by installing renewable plug-and-play microgrids in Madagascar, Niger, and Senegal. Our goal is to provide 20,000 off-grid consumers with access to clean, affordable, and reliable electricity by 2027.
Erik Nordman, of Grand Valley State University, describes strides to achieve universal electricity access in Senegal and the role of microgrids.
Affordable and clean energy is the foundation for many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Modern energy, like electricity and liquified petroleum gas, is a vital need for industries and households. But more than 40 percent of residents of the world''s least developed countries don''t have access to electricity. In developed countries that figure is only 10 percent.
There are huge benefits in accelerating energy access. These include economic benefits as well as increased studying time and reduced pollution. But, closing this energy gap is a herculean task and there''s been very little progress. Investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency must increase by a factor of five if universal energy access is to be achieved by 2030.
Senegal stands out among least developed countries as having made the biggest strides in expanding energy access. In this grouping, which includes 30 other African countries, it has one the highest rates of electricity access and is the only one with electricity access above 50 percent and near universal (about 85 percent) access in cities.
Senegal has a young and growing population. More than 60 percent of its residents are under 25-years-old and more than 75 percent of Senegalese work in agriculture. But industries like food processing, mining, and fertilizer production are also important. Improvements in energy systems would help modernize these sectors.
To achieve universal energy access by 2030, the UN says Senegal must double its electrification rate. Currently, only 33 percent of rural Senegalese have electricity access. But connecting rural homes to the centralized grid is too expensive for most households and building the transmission infrastructure will take years.
Last year Senegal took steps to address these challenges, starting with diversifying its energy mix. About 88 percent of Senegal''s electricity is generated from fossil fuels and the rest is from renewable energy. It aims to increase the proportion of renewables to 20 percent by 2017. One of the ways it is doing this is by tapping into solar energy.
Senegal is also taking up microgrids to improve accessibility. Microgrids consist of an electricity generator (that runs off diesel or solar panels for example), users of the electricity, a means of connecting them and a way to regulate the flow of electricity. It can run on its own or may be connected, now or in the future, to the main electricity grid. These can help electrify rural villages as was seen in Ghana when microgrids were used to electrify four remote communities, serving 10,000 people. Although this is a small portion of Ghana''s total population, the project shows that microgrids can improve energy access in rural areas and can be replicated elsewhere.
Senegal''s per capita electricity consumption is 221 kWh annually, although this is undoubtedly higher in cities where access to electricity is high. In 2017 West Africa''s largest solar park went online in Senegal. The 30 MW grid-connected facility is a substantial increase to the country''s 650 MW of electricity generating capacity. A rough estimate shows that the facility could produce about 48 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year – equivalent to the consumption of more than 215,000 Senegalese each year.
Senegal has several other solar projects, either completed or under construction. The state-owned electric utility issued a call for qualified contractors to build an additional 100 MW of new solar projects. These include a 15 MW grid-connected solar facility near Dakar in the city of Thiès – an impressive project that will enhance energy access in the populated west of Senegal.
Achieving universal electricity access among all 15 million Senegalese, however, will require much more investment in diverse generation sources and modes of delivery. This includes both grid connections and independent microgrids.
Expanding grid-based electricity generation, while important, is insufficient – particularly in rural areas that are not grid-connected. Most households cannot afford the connection cost and building transmission infrastructure takes years. Millions of people miss out while waiting for a grid connection.
Microgrids can bring electricity access to rural areas without the costly and time consuming buildout of a grid connection.
Senegal and other African countries, with help from the World Bank, are investing in microgrids. Senegal''s policy framework, encourages microgrids. The policy includes a top-down approach for relatively large microgrids covering broad areas and a bottom-up approach for entrepreneurs to build small microgrids in rural areas.
The Senegalese government has also issued tenders for larger-scale microgrid projects. For example, a Moroccan utility won a bid to construct a microgrid to serve 21,800 households. Another promising development in Senegal is a plan for 2 MW of off-grid solar power with storage in seven remote locations.
Senegal has demonstrated, there isn''t a single approach to delivering modern energy services. Throughout 2017 it showed that grid connected, utility scale solar projects complement remote microgrids to bring clean, reliable, and affordable electricity to rural and city residents alike. These efforts to address the "energy access dividend" will help Senegal graduate from the list of least developed countries.
Erik Nordman is an associate professor, Grand Valley State University. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
7 December 2022 – ARE Member Energy 4 Impact has embarked upon a 11-month project in eastern Senegal to demonstrate that designing off-grid renewable energy systems such as green mini-grids around productive uses of energy can be an effective approach for improving their commercial viability, whilst also fostering economic opportunities for the people they serve. By working together to integrate strategies that boost demand for electricity through local capacity building, customer financing and equipment supply, public and private stakeholders can drive sustainable development in marginalised rural parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
With funding from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Energy 4 Impact will achieve its demonstration effect by focussing on an underperforming solar-powered mini-grid in the remote village of Goumbayel. Tackling both supply- and demand-side challenges, the Promotion of productive uses of energy for mini-grid operators in Senegal project will catalyse productive uses of energy activities within the community, making it commercially viable for the plant to extend its energy services to a greater number of customers on a more sustainable and reliable basis.
Off-grid project developers and governments across sub-Saharan Africa are discovering that putting rural electricity infrastructure in place does not automatically lead to uptake in communities that cannot afford to pay for electricity services. Without sufficient demand, most mini-grid business models struggle to achieve viability, consequently failing to achieve the anticipated socio-economic benefits of rural electrification.
The Goumbayel solar mini-grid plant is no exception. Built in 2018, it has a 30 kWP generation capacity that is not met by local demand: the plant currently serves only 38 households amongst a 2000-strong local population. The Goumbayel plant also supplies community institutions such as schools, water and forestry services and a health facility, but still only 60% of its generation capacity is utilised. Unable to raise enough revenue to meet its operating costs, the plant shuts down for extended periods each day to save money, further stifling demand and locking the operator in a cycle of unprofitability.
A cost-effective way of breaking this cycle is to support local enterprises and industries – which typically have higher and more predictable electricity needs – to capitalise on the power supply, whilst also ensuring the plant has sufficient capacity to meet the increased demand. Integrating productive use of energy into existing economic activities will in turn generate more income for communities and mini-grid developers.
Through this project, Energy 4 Impact plans to improve the productivity and profitability of eight enterprises by connecting them to the mini-grid and linking them up with suppliers of appliances such as freezers, agricultural processors, grinders, sewing machines, welders and hair salon equipment. To boost their chances of success, the businesses will also receive training on managerial, technical, financial and organizational skills. Domestic users will also be made aware of benefits of connecting to electricity to light their homes and power electric cooking appliances and ICT devices.
To ensure the plant has enough production capacity to meet increased demand, Energy 4 Impact will offer technical assistance to the mini-grid operator on doubling their power output with an upgrade of the solar field. Currently only operational between noon and 9pm, the plant will also soon supply power for 21 hours each day. The higher turnover resulting from this intervention will also help the operator retain their well-trained technical staff and ensure the smooth operation of the plant.
This virtuous cycle of enhanced energy provision and consumption is a vital catalyst for development in the poorest and most remote communities. As the programme gathers pace, the supported enterprises will be able to offer a wider range of much-needed goods and services to the local population. Other benefits for the community include a boost in food security thanks to more efficient processing of agricultural produce as well as enhanced access to water at a lower cost thanks the acquisition of a more powerful electric pump for local borehole. At least 50% of the supported businesses will be led by women or will have most women and the project will avoid nearly 50 tonnes of CO2 per year when compared to using diesel-powered equipment.
By gathering evidence and lessons through the course of this project, Energy 4 Impact aims to establish best practice for designing commercially viable mini-grid projects capable of improving the socio-economic status of rural communities. As Mathieu Dalle, Energy 4 Impact''s Programme Director in West Africa, explains,
We want the Goumbayel plant to stand as a compelling example of what can be achieved with a holistic approach that goes beyond energy access to focus on demand stimulation with productive use alongside access to skills, technology and finance. The subsequent body of evidence will be used to persuade key players in local and national government as well as mini-grid developers to integrate such solutions into their plans to scale up off-grid renewable energy solutions. With more effective interventions in place, rural communities can start to overcome the social and economic disparities holding them back.
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