Mini-Grids for Rural Electrification of Developing Countries

Energies in the developing world, the United Nations launched the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative to achieve universal energy access by 2030. Although electricity grid extension remains the most prevalent way of providing electricity access, it is now recognised that the central grid is unlikely to reach many remote areas in the near future. At the same time, individual solutions like solar home systems tend to provide very limited services to consumers. The mini-grids offer an alternative by combining the benefits of a grid-based solution with the potential for harnessing renewable energies at the local level. The purpose of this book is to provide a thorough coverage of mini-grids for rural electrification in developing countries by considering the technical, economic, environmental and governance dimensions and presenting case studies from South Asia. This book reports the research carried out by a consortium of British and Indian researchers on off-grid electrification in South Asia. It provides the state-of-the art technical knowledge on mini-grids and micro-grids including renewable energy integration (or green mini-grids), smart systems for integration with the central grid and remote data collection and monitoring and standardisation of systems. It also contains the analytical frameworks and approaches that can be used to analyse the mini-grids comprehensively including its techno-economic aspects, financial viability and regulatory issues. The case studies drawn from South Asia demonstrate the application of the framework and show case various successful efforts in promoting mini-grids in the region.