Hybrid micro-grids in Africa

Gabon diesel generator

From PV Magazine:

Mini-grid solutions are becoming more popular to deliver electricity to rural areas. There are 1 billion people worldwide without access to electricity and off-grid solutions could be the cheapest and easiest solution for about 70% of them. It is estimated the market in the segment will be worth $64 billion by 2030.

French utility Engie‘s Ausar Energy regional subsidiary will deploy eight hybrid solar systems in Gabon after an agreement was signed with local financial institution Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) the company reports.

The plants will power eight mini-grids across the country and will have a cumulative capacity of 2.2 MW, supporting individual projects of between 65 kW and 895 kW in size.

The systems will supplement diesel generators with solar arrays. By adding PV, project developers seek to lower diesel use, reducing costs, noise, emissions and the logistical nightmare of transporting the fuel to remote villages.

[Read more here]

I've talked before about micro-grids:

• Energy poverty

• Tesla Powerpacks in Samoa

• Chad picks solar

Energy poverty correlates with material poverty.  Poor countries can't afford to build a national grid.  And partly because they don't have ubiquitous electricity, they are poor.  Giving poor people electricity via solar-powered micro-grids increases their incomes by 50%.  In the energy-poor parts of the world, solar power is being added to diesel generation and utilised in micro-grids.  This is happening because building out a national grid as developed countries have done is prodigiously expensive.  Developing countries lack capital, know-how and foreign exchange.  And they're not choosing solar because they care about global warming.  They're choosing solar because it's cheaper.

Everywhere you look, the penetration of renewables in electricity generation is rising.  Even though fossil fuels are still being used, as storage costs decline, we will move towards a 100% green grid.  And poor countries will finally get electricity, even in the poorest village--thanks to the renewables revolution.