Identifying Hidden Resources in Solar Home Systems as the Basis for Bottom-Up Grids

Solar Home Systems as the Basis for Bottom-Up Grids

Helix ◽

10.29042/2019-5073-5080 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 5073-5080

Author(s):

Jolhe S. P. ◽

Dhomane G. A. ◽

Karalkar. M. D.

Keyword(s):

Bottom Up ◽

Home Systems

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Bottom-Up Electrification Introducing New Smart Grids Architecture—Concept Based on Feasibility Studies Conducted in Rwanda

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12122439 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 2439 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bartosz Soltowski ◽

David Campos-Gaona ◽

Scott Strachan ◽

Olimpo Anaya-Lara

Keyword(s):

Energy Management ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Smart Grids ◽

Field Studies ◽

Energy Access ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Grid Systems ◽

Management Platform ◽

Smart Energy Management ◽

Home Systems

Over the past eight years, off-grid systems, in the form of stand-alone solar home systems (SHSs), have proved the most popular and immediate solution for increasing energy access in rural areas across the Global South. Although deployed in significant numbers, issues remain with the cost, reliability, utilization, sustainability and scalability of these off-grid systems to provide higher-tiered energy access. Interconnection of existing stand-alone solar home systems (SHSs) can form a microgrid of interconnected prosumers (i.e., households owning SHS capable of producing and consuming power) and consumers (i.e., households without an SHS, and only capable of consuming power). This paper focuses on the role of a smart energy management (SEM) platform in the interconnection of off-grid systems and making bottom-up electrification scalable, and how it can improve the overall sustainability, efficiency and flexibility of off-grid technology. An interconnected SHS microgrid has the potential to unlock latent generation and storage capacity, and so effectively promote connected customers to higher tiers of energy access. This approach can therefore extend the range of products currently used by people located in the remote areas of developing countries to include higher-power devices such as refrigerators, TVs and potentially, electric cookers. This paper shows the results of field studies in the Northern Province of Rwanda within off-grid villages where people mainly rely on SHSs as a source of electricity. These field studies have informed further simulation-based studies that define the principal requirements for the operation of a smart energy management platform for the interconnection of SHSs to form a community microgrid.

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The Long Road to Universal Electrification: A Critical Look at Present Pathways and Challenges

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13030508 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 508

Author(s):

Nishant Narayan ◽

Victor Vega-Garita ◽

Zian Qin ◽

Jelena Popovic-Gerber ◽

Pavol Bauer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Density ◽

Electricity Demand ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Missing Link ◽

Broad Scale ◽

The Ideal ◽

Home Systems

Nearly 840 million people still lack access to electricity, while over a billion more have an unreliable electricity connection. In this article, the three different electrification pathways—grid extension, centralized microgrids, and standalone solar-based solutions, such as pico-solar and solar home systems (SHS)—are critically examined while understanding their relative merits and demerits. Grid extension can provide broad scale access at low levelized costs but requires a certain electricity demand threshold and population density to justify investments. To a lesser extent, centralized (off-grid) microgrids also require a minimum demand threshold and knowledge of the electricity demand. Solar-based solutions are the main focus in terms of off-grid electrification in this article, given the equatorial/tropical latitudes of the un(der-)electrified regions. In recent times, decentralized solar-based off-grid solutions, such as pico-solar and SHS, have shown the highest adoption rates and promising impetus with respect to basic lighting and electricity for powering small appliances. However, the burning question is—from lighting a million to empowering a billion—can solar home systems get us there?The two main roadblocks for SHS are discussed, and the requirements from the ideal electrification pathway are introduced. A bottom-up, interconnected SHS-based electrification pathway is proposed as the missing link among the present electrification pathways.

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