Holistic Approach to Develop Electricity Load Profiles for Rural Off-Grid Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Kühnel, Sven; Ahmed, Tallal; Mehta, Kedar; Ehrenwirth, Mathias; Besner, Rebekka; Knepper, Karoline; Ileka, Helvi; Trinkl, Christoph; Zörner, Wilfried

doi:10.18086/swc.2021.20.02

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…A hybrid model to generate the load profile based on a combination of synthetic load profile, data-driven and statistical parameters was validated by comparing the simulation results with measured data (Kühnel et al, 2021). This option is attractive when multiple sources of information are available.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identificando las necesidades energéticas para proyectos de electrificación rural de comunidades aisladas de la red eléctrica.

2023

Proceedings From the International Congress on Project Management and Engineering

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Local Off-grid, renewable energy electricity generation systems are proving to be a viable solution for achieving SDG 7 without undermining SDG 13, especially in isolated communities in emerging countries. However, the scarcity of resources for development aid requires tight designs that minimize these systems' investment and operational costs. To this end, it is necessary to precisely define the "sufficient" energy demand to promote the endogenous development of the beneficiary community. This is difficult because there is no previous data on energy consumption. This project reviews the state of the art on the identification of energy needs in communities that have not previously consumed electricity. Techniques based on energy simulation are not applicable due to the poor quality of the data: building materials, local climate files, expected uses, etc. Deterministic techniques do not take into account the variability of energy demand, and stochastic techniques require precise knowledge of future energy behavior. A new approach based on the most widespread methods is designed and applied to a case study in Honduras.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identificando las necesidades energéticas para proyectos de electrificación rural de comunidades aisladas de la red eléctrica.

2023

Proceedings From the International Congress on Project Management and Engineering

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“…About 1.1 billion people worldwide are without access to electricity [6,7]. Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is host to 620 million people without access to electricity [3,6,8,9]. Nearly 1 billion people in SSA are projected to have access to electricity by 2040; however, due to population growth, about 530 million people will still be without access to electricity in SSA [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technical Evaluation of Photovoltaic Systems in the Bamenda Municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon

Mungwe,

Alombah,

Ajesam

et al. 2024

Journal of Renewable Energy

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In the Bamenda Municipality of Cameroon households are adopting Solar Photovoltaic Systems (SPVS). The penetration of SPVS in this Municipality depends on their technical performance. The study aimed to evaluate the technical installation of SPVS within the Municipality. A field inspection and administration of a questionnaire was conducted. The field inspection evaluated the respect of technical installation norms for SPVS. The questionnaire captured data on the technical situation of the SPVS. The SPVS installed included PV and grid to power separate loads, and PV and grid to power same loads. The installed loads were a mix of AC and DC loads of capacity from 360 W to 10000 W. The load powered by the installed SPVS varied from 300 W to 7000 W. The PV array varied from 200 W to 3200 W and battery bank capacity of 100 Ah to 800 Ah. The PV arrays were mostly installed on roof tops. Only 5% of the SPVS were installed by certified personnel. More than 50% of the installed SPVS operated below designed operation time. Failures in installed systems were related to inverters (36 %) and battery banks (36 %). Most of the PV arrays were installed on rooftops at tilt angles between 20° and 50°. More than 50 % of the PV arrays were oriented to directions other than South. Protective devices were installed in only 14 % of the installed systems. Some of the SPVS were not properly dimensioned. It may be concluded that most of the installed SPVS do not respect the technical installation norms and were not dimensioned according to users’ needs. The survival and penetration of SPVS technology in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon, and other sub-Saharan communities requires awareness and capacity building, policies, and regulations in the design and installation of this technology.

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Exploring Off-Grid Energy Choices: Household Decisions in Upper Blinkwater, South Africa

Lesala,

Makaka,

Mukumba

2024

Energies

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Household energy is critical for sustainable development, but many rural and off-grid communities lack access. As global concerns about climate change prompt a re-evaluation of energy strategies, understanding rural household energy decisions becomes increasingly complex, particularly in remote areas without grid access. This study examines the energy decisions of households in the Upper Blinkwater community to uncover the primary drivers for their choice of energy amidst grid connections. Survey data from 53 households were analyzed using multivariate regression. The findings revealed significant economic vulnerability among the respondents, marked by high unemployment and limited resource access, with the majority of households relying on social grants. These households depend on multiple energy sources, with firewood usage significantly influenced by the availability of grants, total income, post-primary education, household size, and remittance income. The findings contradict the energy ladder hypothesis, indicating that despite economic improvements, a complete transition to modern fuels may not be possible as firewood remains a crucial energy source. These results highlight the complex interplay of economic, social, and cultural factors in household energy decisions and underscore the importance of enhancing infrastructure, providing economic incentives, and conducting educational campaigns to facilitate the transition to cleaner energy alternatives.

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Holistic Approach to Develop Electricity Load Profiles for Rural Off-Grid Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Identificando las necesidades energéticas para proyectos de electrificación rural de comunidades aisladas de la red eléctrica.

Identificando las necesidades energéticas para proyectos de electrificación rural de comunidades aisladas de la red eléctrica.

Technical Evaluation of Photovoltaic Systems in the Bamenda Municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon

Exploring Off-Grid Energy Choices: Household Decisions in Upper Blinkwater, South Africa

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