News and feature articles on microgrids in Africa including RFP's, policies and players impacting the region.
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 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...]
It’s not surprising that military microgrids in the US demonstrate some of the most sophisticated and innovative uses of distributed energy. After all, they are designed with national security in mind. As such, they serve as a learning ground for microgrids developed for the civilian sector. Here we offer a look at four military microgrids … [Read more...]
Rocky Mountain Institute's Andrew Allee describes a problem arising out of electrification in Nigeria. Minigrids are bringing electricity to rural areas, but residents do not benefit if they cannot afford appliances. In early 2018, a solar minigrid installation transformed energy access in Gbamu Gbamu, a Nigerian town 45 minutes from the … [Read more...]
The World Bank expects a boom in Nigeria's minigrid sector as the multilateral development bank and Nigerian government introduce an auction as part of a five-year, $550 million minigrid tender. The tender is part of a minigrid and solar home electrification program that has been running since June. Speaking at an industry conference held … [Read more...]
Spurred on by a conversation with his father about the expense of operating an electric boiler for hot water, André Nel, founder of South Africa-based Eco-V, set out in search of a solution. That led to a technology, GreenTower, that uses hybrid solar microgrids to treat and heat borehole water. “The solution we have found a viable … [Read more...]
Kenya's government continues to forge ahead with an ambitious initiative for universal electrification and distributed energy, with state utility Kenya Power and Lighting (KPLC) launching a $6.7 million plan for 23 off-grid minigrids, the term used for microgrids in Africa. Twenty-seven solar-diesel minigrids are already up and running in … [Read more...]
It's said that necessity is the mother of invention, and that's the case in Zimbabwe where businesses and well-off residents are reportedly turning to off-grid minigrids and on-site solar, small wind and hydro-plus-storage systems in droves amid grid outages that can last 18 hours a day. The average cost per connection for minigrids in … [Read more...]
PowerGen Renewable Energy, a leading player in Sub-Saharan Africa's fledgling, but fast growing markets for microgrids, minigrids and micro-utilities, acquired the Tanzanian microgrid assets of another emerging market leader, Rafiki Power, aka E.ON Off-Grid Solutions. The acquisition furthers PowerGen Renewable Energy's goal of creating … [Read more...]
A solar-plus-storage microgrid in Lebanon is demonstrating a way the country can overcome its pollution and lack of energy access while boosting economic development. For a month running, Recycle Beirut and an adjacent residential building have been receiving all of the electricity they need with a microgrid that uses 100-kW of solar and a 100 … [Read more...]
Commercial customers paying demand charges and time-of-use rates should seriously consider an investment in solar plus storage, a common technology used in microgrids. RMI’s Ryan Shea and Madeline Tyson describe the the organizations recent research on costs.
A special report from Microgrid Knowledge explores the benefits of microgrids for retail. The report explores how microgrids and distributed energy resources can increase efficiency, resiliency and reliability at a variety of different types of businesses in the retail sector.
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