The community of Chã das Caldeiras on the island of Fogo is unique. It is one of the few places in the world where people have built a life in the crater of an active volcano. Contact online >>
The community of Chã das Caldeiras on the island of Fogo is unique. It is one of the few places in the world where people have built a life in the crater of an active volcano.
Fogo is one of a collection of islands and archipelagos that make up the isolated nation of Cabo Verde, also known as Cape Verde, which is situated some 375 miles off the coast of West Africa.
Clearly, there are some risks when it comes to building one’s life in the crater of a volcano. However, for the nearly 800 residents of Chã das Caldeiras, the “what ifs” associated with the volcano have been outweighed by other pressing concerns – including a lack of running water, access to reliable electricity and poverty.
A new solar minigrid aims to solve the electricity challenges facing the community, and it will help bolster the economic situation as well.
The people of Chã das Caldeiras have a strong connection to the land that their families have been cultivating for generations.
The volcanic soil in the crater is incredibly fertile, driving the largely agrarian economy.
Local farmers grow a variety of fruits and vegetables, but the region is especially known for its coffee and wine. It also has a burgeoning tourist industry.
The minigrid, which includes a 40-kW solar array, 150-kWh battery energy storage system, 50-kV generator and a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) underground electricity distribution network, will provide reliable electricity to the residents and help drive economic growth.
A total of 210 homes and businesses will be connected to the minigrid, which was launched last week during a ceremony attended by the country’s prime minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva.
The minigrid project was developed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in partnership with AgroCoopCha, a local cooperative.
Funding was provided by the Cabo Verde government, the U.S. Agency for International Development and ECREEE via its ECOWAS Special Intervention Fund (ESIF).
The Fogo minigrid is one of many electrification initiatives developed by ECREEE and funded by ESIF. In the past year, the organization has launched clean energy minigrids, solar home systems and solar pumping systems for drinking water and irrigation across West Africa.
Communities in Nigeria, The Gambia, and Togo have all benefited from these clean energy systems. Additional systems in Benin, Ghana and Senegal are expected to come online before the end of the year.
I work as a writer and special projects editor for Microgrid Knowledge. I have over 30 years of writing experience, working with a variety of companies in the renewable energy, electric vehicle and utility sector, as well as those in the entertainment, education, and financial industries. I have a BFA in Media Arts from the University of Arizona and a MBA from the University of Denver.
Integrated electrification planning tool used to assess electrification pathways for Benin
14 Feb 2019: Off-grid electrification technologies such as mini-grids and stand-alone PV systems play a vital role in providing electricity to people of Benin, especially in rural areas.
This is the conclusion of a new report ''Electrification Pathways for Benin'' [1] by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, which examines 21 electrification pathways for Benin. Using the energy planning tool OnSSET (Open Source Spatial Electrification Tool) [2], the team utilised local data and involved key stakeholders from government, the private sector and academia in the process, to ensure that the outcomes were realistic and form a solid basis for the development of implementation plans.
Targeting universal access to electricity by 2030 (as agreed under Sustainable Development Goal 7) requires a combination of grid expansion and off-grid technologies. On this basis, experts from KTH and SNV collected up-to-date geo-spatial datasets and policy information to identify the most cost-effective electrification solutions for each town and settlement in Benin. The OnSSET tool allowed for a flexible approach, taking account of not only the technological aspects but also different levels of electricity demand (including productive uses) and variable costs.
The resulting model calculations show that, in the least-cost scenario, to achieve affordable, universal electricity access in Benin, 10-50% of the newly connected population will get power from decentralised, off-grid technologies, mainly based on solar PV. The choice between grid extension and decentralised electrification depends largely on remoteness and how much electricity these households and businesses are expected to use. Stand-alone PV systems will play an important role in providing electricity mainly for rural households with low electricity demand.
In rural areas, the most important condition for the viability of mini-grids is the level of electricity demand. When demand is low, the cost of a mini-grid distribution network is too high. Mini-grids become more attractive when considering higher rural electricity access targets, and when taking into account additional demand for schools and health facilities. Other productive uses of electricity (not considered in the report) can further increase the cost-effective role of mini-grids. It is likely that these will be connected to the grid at some point, therefore mini-grids should be developed in such a way that they are compatible with the grid and allow interconnection.
Different policies and incentives are likely to affect the future technology mix. For example, grid tariff subsidies can make grid-connection more favourable for the customers in areas where another technology may be less costly to deploy. In addition, policies and regulations need to allow for private investments for mini-grid development in rural areas and provide clarity on interconnectivity and compensation in case the grid is extended.
Considering the substantial import dependency, high transmission losses, and financial challenges for Benin''s national utility SBEE, mini-grids and stand-alone technologies may provide a means to attract investments from private and international actors to accelerate electrification in the short to medium term, shifting some of the costs away from government. Also, scenarios with the high deployment of decentralised systems can lead to a cleaner electricity generation mix in Benin, with renewables replacing the centralised grid that is largely based on fossil-fuelled power plants.
The report from this initiative, ''Electrification Pathways for Benin'', is an important contribution to the achievement of the energy goals in the Benin Government Action Program 2016-2021. However, this report is not an end in itself. Representatives in Benin from government, universities and the private sector have now been trained in using the OnSSET tool and are able to adapt the current planning assessment according to new needs identified or to changes in the context observed. At the level of KTH and SNV, the outcomes of the modelling will be continuously reviewed and will be updated with the further development of the OnSSET tool when, for example, the incorporation of productive uses has advanced.
The mini-grid, expected to connect over 1,500 residents to electricity, is part of the company''s wider plans to install over 20 mini-grids in Benin, which will serve more than 30,000 people across 20 rural localities collectively, through a total 1.2 MW capacity.
Image: Engie Energy Access
Engie Energy Access, a unit French energy company Engie, has inaugurated its first mini-grid in Dohouè, a village in the south of Benin.
The Dohouè MySol Grid is powered by 135 kW of solar panels and supported by 130 kWh of Lithium-ion batteries. It connects over 1,500 residents and businesses to sustainable energy solutions.
Engie Energy Access has secured a 20-year license agreement for the project, through a partnership with the Beninese Agency for Rural Electrification and Energy Management.
Gillian-Alexandre Huart, Engie Energy Access CEO, said the company''s solar home systems and mini-grids in Benin "enable a cost-effective and adaptable multi-technological approach".
"Therefore, we can meet the various urgent needs of residential, communal, and productive users living outside the national grid." He added. “We are committed to making clean energy technologies accessible to low-income households, promoting inclusivity and empowerment within each member of the communities we serve."
The project forms part of a wider scheme, which will see Engie Energy Access construct and operate an additional 20 mini-grids across Benin.
The mini-grids, co-financed by the Millennium Challenge Account – Benin II program as part of the Off-grid Clean Energy Facility, are expected to collectively deliver 1.2 MW of installed capacity and support more than 30,000 people across 20 rural localities.
Benin had a total of 28 MW of installed solar capacity at the end of last year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Last year, Japanese developer Toyota Tsusho announced plans to build a 25 MW solar plant in the country.
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