Electricity and Control October 2023

ENGINEERING THE FUTURE

Microgrids powered by renewable energy can be developed to serve small clusters of households – interconnected to each other and the national grid.

Notes: [1] Exchange rate: 1 Euro (EUR) = USD 1.09 (as at 8 August 2023, when the IEA published this commentary). [2] Exchange rate: 1 Australian Dollar (AUD) = EUR 0.59 = USD 0.65 (as at 8 August 2023, when the IEA published this commentary). This work forms part of the IEA’s People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions Programme and the Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Networks Initiative (3DEN). Further mapping of initiatives and benefits is under way.

into charities and jobs training to tackle rising rates of local un employment. This ability to determine where, how and to whom the revenues from the project are distributed, improved overall citizen welfare in the favela. It also enabled the community to protect the citizens from rising energy prices. Empowering citizens Energy communities also help develop local value-chains, jobs, and skills. The Lynedoch residential community microgrid project, which interconnected over 30 homes via a tiered grid system (from household to household, to the village, to the national grid) was the first smart embedded residential rooftop microgrid in South Africa. The pilot project is co-owned and maintained by the utility (Eskom), but members of the community were taught and certified by industry to take on roles in the development, installation, maintenance, operation, and ownership of the energy system. Such initiatives help ensure the sustainability and longevity of projects and demonstrate the value of enhancing citizen engagement in localised clean energy transitions. Local value chains Energy community models can be effective mechanisms to deliver clean energy transitions. They illustrate the benefits of place-specific interventions and highlight the added value of inclusive people-centred approaches. Better access to financing and support, regulatory reforms, and sharing of experiences could give communities around the world greater access to local, clean and affordable energy. For instance, the European Parliament has recently provided funding for the creation of an advisory hub and support service to help collect and disseminate best practices and provide technical assistance for community initiatives across the European Union.

For more information visit: www.iea.org

Participants in the IEA-hosted virtual panel discussion Moderator: Dr Brian Motherway, Head of Energy Efficiency, IEA ƒ Eduardo Avila, Executive Director, RevoluSolar - RevoluSolar in the Babilônia favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ƒ Sharne Bloem, Researcher, Stellenbosch University - Smart Embedded Residential Microgrid, Lynedoch, South Africa ƒ Valerio Covicchio, Renewable Energy Community Business Developer, Enel X ƒ Reena Suri, Executive Director, India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) - P2P trading of rooftop solar – Lucknow city, Uttar Pradesh, India ƒ Adela Tesarova, European Commission, Directorate General for Energy (DG ENER)

OCTOBER 2023 Electricity + Control

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