Improving load factors as a smart management approach - A developing country mini-grid case study
Paper in proceeding, 2021

One option to improve electricity access to the one billion people currently lacking electricity access is autonomous mini-grids. Most of the unelectrified communities are located in rural areas far from the current grids. Rural area communities are characterized by geographical remoteness, dispersed consumers, low consumption, and limited ability to pay. The low consumption and limited ability to pay can affect the revenue of the mini-grid operator and owner, often leading to low cost-effectiveness of the mini-grid. However, as shown in the current work, correctly combining the number of household and productive users in a mini-grid can increase revenue by 40 % compared to only households if an equal tariff is considered for both customer groups.

Productive use

Rural electrification

Increased revenue

Household use

Mini-grid

Author

Milky Ali Gelchu

Addis Ababa University

Jimmy Ehnberg

Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Electric Power Engineering

Erik Ahlgren

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Energy Technology

Elias Hartvigsson

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Energy Technology

2021 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica, PowerAfrica 2021

138-140
9781665403115 (ISBN)

8th Annual IEEE Power and Energy Society and Industrial Applications Society PowerAfrica Conference, PowerAfrica 2021
Virtual, Nairobi, Kenya,

Subject Categories

Communication Systems

Energy Systems

Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

DOI

10.1109/POWERAFRICA52236.2021.9543147

More information

Latest update

12/17/2021