Electricity + Control November 2019

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

At the recentWorld Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa, held in CapeTown in September, Caspar Herzberg, President, Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric, was part of the panel discussion on Universal Energy Access, on the first day of the conference. This discussion was linked to the track focused on: Shaping the Future of Energy. Mini grids offer potential for universal energy access

at a glance

Decentralised mini grids, powered by solar energy, can support rural economic development. This is demonstrated in the case study on Onibambu in Nigeria. The technology exists. We need to develop local skills to manage mini grids.

M ore than 600 million people in sub- Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity. This impacts severely on ambitious aims for inclusive growth. The panel discussed what models could support the continent in reaching universal energy access by 2030 – ranging from renewable energy storage to smart grids and more. “It is easier to supply energy to urban areas, but urbanisation is not a positive phenomenon. If one travels around Africa and looks at the power lines above and townships below, the difficulty is in the last 50 metres, where there are many social issues,” Herzberg said. “Globally, there is a trend towards decentralised grids and, with mini grids, we have the opportunity

to create an integrated approach, to make cities more liveable and efficient. Equally, we want to focus on mini grids in rural areas, to reverse the trend of rural-urban migration. “One thing we have found is that when you put a functioning mini grid, with a business model, in a previously disconnected community, it reverses that trend and creates a new local hub. An excellent example of this is the Onibambu, Nigeria case study, where Arnergy, a Nigerian solar power company, solved rural electrification in collaboration with Schneider Electric and the Bank of Industry (BOI).” (See below) “Providing access to energy to 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa may seem an attractive investment opportunity from the sheer numbers,

Rural Nigerian mini-grid creates business To provide rural off-grid electrification to communities across Nigeria, as a means of curbing rural-to-urban migration and promoting security and development in non-urban centres, the Bank of Industry (BOI) rural electrification projects began with Arnergy at Onibambu/Idi-Ata. Onibambu is located in the to run their businesses and daily lives. The community is situated close to the Obafemi Awolowo University, an hour from the major city of Ibadan and another hour and half from Lagos. The indigenous people are traders, artisans (basket weavers) and farmers. In its rural electrification

groundwork for many more such projects in the future. The microgrid solution chosen was designed as a 24 kWp system, capable of servicing 200 rural homes and businesses with minimal load. In addition to the solar microgrid, 22 streetlights were provided along the major routes and key points of the community, improving security and brightening up the village at night. Schneider Electric’s Conext family of solar and battery-based inverter/charger systems, with online monitoring, was selected as the most reliable technology

initiative, BOI awarded GVE and Arnergy contracts – in the form of loans – to develop solar microgrids in six rural communities across all geopolitical zones of Nigeria. These projects constitute a pilot programme to lay the

Ife-North local government area of Osun state. It is a village of about 200 houses, which have never been connected to the national grid. The inhabitants rely on candles, kerosene and a handful of petrol generators

30 Electricity + Control

NOVEMBER 2019