The Rocky Mountain Institute's (RMI) Olatunde Okeowo and Andrew Allee explore how synching agriculture and distributed energy can cut down on Nigeria's oil dependency, increase energy access and save rural residents money. What if it was possible to boost both national and local economies while increasing energy access and saving rural … [Read more...]
The Microgrid Knowledge Africa Channel
News and feature articles on microgrids in Africa including RFP's, policies and players impacting the region.
Synchronizing Agriculture and Distributed Energy Can Reduce Nigeria’s Oil Dependency
May 11, 2020 By 1 Comment
How BUGS Leave an Opening for Solar Plus Storage Globally
April 30, 2020 By 1 Comment
A major opportunity exists for small, solar plus storage systems to replace gasoline or diesel backup generators that cause detriment to the environment worldwide, according to research funded by an arm of the World Bank Group. Between 1 to 2 billion people do not have access to a reliable power grid, making back-up generation systems (BUGS) … [Read more...]
Healthcare & Critical Service Microgrids in an Era of COVID-19: The Latest
April 21, 2020 By 1 Comment
A hospital in Victoria, Texas, later this month will announce commissioning of a new microgrid, likely to be one of the first healthcare microgrid to come on line during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, the timing is fortuitous — Citizens Medical Center announced plans to install the 2.8 MW microgrid long before the pandemic, about a year ago, … [Read more...]
Microgrid Investment Less Risky than Grid Projects for Africa: Report
April 17, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Microgrid projects could play a major role bolstering the electric grid in Africa, which needs roughly $1 trillion in investments, according to a white paper by researchers at Boston University. The power system in sub-Saharan Africa is generally poorly developed and its quality ranges widely from country to country, and even within countries, … [Read more...]
Report Examines Sustainable Minigrids for Rwandan Refugee Camps
April 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Investment in clean energy solutions — in particular minigrids — offers the potential to reduce the costs and environmental impact of humanitarian operations, according to a briefing note on Rwanda published by Imperial College London, UK. Fossil fueled systems often power humanitarian assistance work. Philip Sandwell and Javier Baranda … [Read more...]
Mining Toolkit Helps Clean Energy Industry Protect Profit, People and Planet
April 3, 2020 By 4 Comments
Clean energy’s gold rush for minerals used to manufacture electric vehicles, solar and other systems is not always sustainable and sometimes employs questionable labor practices, says a group that has released a mining toolkit to help the industry develop best practices. The Energy Resources Governance Initiative’s (ERGI) toolkit aims to … [Read more...]
Engie EPS Cites Earnings Uncertainty from Coronavirus. Sticks to Long-term Microgrid Strategy
March 20, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Engie EPS sees microgrids and energy storage as key to its growth, but expects a short-term disruption because its manufacturing facilities are in Italy, which has been heavily hit by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The technology division of France-based energy giant Engie issued the warning in its 2019 earnings results released March … [Read more...]
A Global Tour of Contrasting Microgrid and VPP Markets
January 31, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Peter Asmus of Guidehouse explores the different drivers impacting microgrid and virtual power plant (VPP) uptake. The stars are aligning for distributed energy resources (DER) to play an increasingly important role in providing energy services across both retail and wholesale markets. Recent forecasts from Navigant Research, a Guidehouse … [Read more...]
Rural Neighborhood Chooses Off-Grid Microgrids Instead of Paying the Utility
January 20, 2020 By 5 Comments
For the Silvies Valley Ranch outside of Burns, Oregon, off-grid microgrids for each of 600 homes under development makes more financial sense than paying the local utility $7 million to run utility lines to the ranch. The eco-friendly ranch and luxury resort, formerly a dude ranch, is located on 140,000 acres in eastern Oregon where visitors … [Read more...]
Xcel Energy to Build 7 Community Microgrids. Negotiating with Siemens and Fluence
January 16, 2020 By 3 Comments
Xcel Energy is seeking regulatory approval to move forward with seven microgrids, at a cost to the utility of $23.4 million, chosen from a community resilience solicitation that the Colorado utility issued in May. The microgrids will serve the Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System; National Western Center; Denver Rescue … [Read more...]
