Moving Up the Electrification Ladder in Off-Grid Settlements with Rooftop Solar Microgrids

Abstract

The multi-tier framework (MTF) of electricity access defines a continuum of electrification from tier 0, where access is inexistent or very limited, to tier 5 where access is of grid quality. Transitioning households from lower to higher tiers unlocks the potential in meeting more of their energy needs. This study investigates the transition towards higher tier electricity access on Gilutongan Island, an off-grid island of Cebu, Philippines, which is also an informal settlement community with no open land available for a centralized solar PV system. The solar PV potential of suitable rooftops on the island was determined using satellite imagery, ground measurements, and computation. The electricity demand of a cluster of 11 households was examined in detail; these households, situated near two suitable rooftops, were connected to an installed 7.92 kWp solar PV-based microgrid. Results show that the households moved up from lower to higher tier levels in all MTF attributes except for affordability. Nevertheless, the cost of a standard electricity consumption package of 1 kWh/day dropped from 18% of the average household income to 6%. Moving up on the electrification ladder to higher tier electricity access in off-grid areas is attainable with households clustered as a microgrid using rooftop solar PV. Affordability remains to be the biggest challenge that needs to be addressed.

Balancing Energy Trilemma Using Hybrid Distributed Rooftop Solar PV (DRSP)/Battery/Diesel Microgrid: A Case Study in Gilutongan Island, Cordova, Cebu, Philippines

“…The RSP microgrid was implemented in a cluster of 11 households in Gilutongan Island, Cebu, Philippines. Their results show that households move from lower to higher levels in all MTF attributes except affordability and this needs to be addressed [22]. In conjunction with Rabuya et al's study, we further investigate improving the energy system model as a continuum of tier levels, which looks not just at the affordability but also the reliability and environmental sustainability aspects of the system as demand increases.…”

“…Thus, achieving a 100% electrification target is pivotal to fill this gap by presenting a design strategy for the optimal HES model that balances the TCF of the ET consisting of a distributed rooftop solar PV (DRSP), batteries, and a DG shared in a small, clustered household. This study used the RSP microgrid project installed in 11 households in Gilutongan Island, Cordova, Cebu, Philippines, as a model, as first presented by Rabuya et al [22]. However, the main goal of this study is to identify the optimal configuration of the HES microgrid (DRSP/B/DG) model based on a local context of solar energy resource availability in rooftops while balancing the TCF of the ET as the energy demand increases.…”

Off-Grid Electrification Using Renewable Energy in the Philippines: A Comprehensive Review

“…Of the papers in this category, only three articles looked at a stand-alone system, as summarized in Table A10 in the Appendix A. One of these works, by Rabuya et al [68] looked at a stand-alone system, more specifically, at rooftop PV technology. In their work, they investigated the transition of the community of Gilutongan Island, Cebu, to a higher electricity access tier by looking at various technical and social attributes.…”

“…The island community should be able to participate in and support microgrid installations. This is especially important for smaller microgrids such as the one presented in Rabuya et al [68]. Due to the limited land area, solar PVs were installed on household rooftops.…”

Digital Earth Surface Model for The Estimation of Solar Panel Electric Power Towards Renewable Energy

“…SHS can be a solution to be implemented to address the complex problems of fossil fuel scarcity and environmental pollution (Rigo et al, 2020). In addition, due to its easy-to-install shape, this technology can be installed on various types of building roofs so that it can reach even the most remote houses and can become a technology to fulfill the 100% electrification goal in various parts of the world (Rabuya et al, 2021). This effort that requires multi-stakeholder cooperation is expected to be successful and able to be used by all groups so that the transition from fossil energy to clean energy can be achieved following the SDGs' 7.1 target (Santika et al, 2020).…”