Mini Grid Solar PV Systems on grid solar system kit

Electricity access is essential for people’s lives and livelihoods: from using fridges to store food and medicine; charging mobile phones to stay connected; lighting up households and schools at night; to powering local businesses.

Applications include:

• Village power supplies
• Island power supplies
• Hotels & mountain resorts
• Remote farms
• Lodges & Cabins
• Hospitals & Schools
• Telecommunication and radio stations
• Mobile applications

An Alternative Solution for Providing Electricity Access in Remote Areas

When African governments started building mini-grids in the 1960s, diesel generators were the most popular energy source – they were relatively straightforward to run and solar technology was still in its infancy. Governments had the existing diesel infrastructure knowledge and mini-grid developers had enough experience to scale mini-grids quickly and effectively.

Since then, solar panels in Africa have gone through something of a revolution and between 2009 and 2020, solar PV module prices fell by 86%. Solar-powered mini-grids are now often cost-competitive with diesel-powered grids, offering governments an opportunity to drastically reduce carbon emissions, and households the prospect of cleaner air.

Converting diesel-powered mini-grids to run on solar power – a process known as technology switching – could produce annual global CO2 emissions savings of up to 470 million metric tons, roughly equivalent to Brazil’s annual CO2 emissions.

When combined with efficient and environmentally sustainable battery storage, solar mini-grids present a compelling economic case for rural communities in Africa. According to the International Energy Agency they are essential to future rural electrification in Africa.