Decentralized renewable hybrid mini-grid based electrification of rural and remote off-grid areas of Bangladesh

Like many other developing nations Bangladesh has a very poor electrification rate especially in the rural areas. Millions of people here are excluded from the benefit of globalization because of no access to necessary electricity supply. This research work proposes decentralized renewable hybrid mini-grids as a potential approach for off-grid rural and remote area electrification in Bangladesh. Based on the available renewable resources an area specific resource map has been developed. The characteristics of the bottom of the economic pyramid market including customers’ attitude to switch from liquid fuel to mini-grid based electricity supply, expected load demand and their willingness to pay have been explored through a field study. Different combinations of hybrid systems have been designed and optimized using the HOMER micro-grid design software to cover the whole country. Results suggest that serving the required load over wider hours rather than having the same load concentrated in a short span of time can achieve better hybrid system performance. Initial capital subsidy of 40 percent along with 5 percent interest on loan has been applied in accordance with the renewable energy policy of Bangladesh government. Proposed optimized rice husk-diesel hybrid system in Rangpur, micro hydro-PV system in Rangamati, wind-PV system in Chakaria and PV-diesel system in coastal areas can produce electricity for USD 0.172/kWh, 0.291/kWh, 0.217/kWh and 0.316/kWh respectively while serving loads for 12 to 18 hours a day. Field data analysed by applying the dichotomous choice contingent valuation method revealed that customers are willing to pay maximum of USD 0.43/kWh. The value difference between the cost of electricity generation and the customers’ willingness to pay creates the opportunity to attract the private investors. Suitable business delivery models have been identified and explained for successful mini-grid business by private investment. Optimum hybrid systems have been standardized for replication and a sustainable business model has been suggested for scaling up this electrification approach

Are the off-grid customers ready to pay for electricity from the decentralized renewable hybrid mini-grids? A study of willingness to pay in rural Bangladesh

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Off-grid rural and remote area electrification through decentralized renewable hybrid mini-grids (HMG) has been prioritized in the recent national renewable energy policy of Bangladesh. Research was carried out to explore the actual customer willingness to pay (WTP) for the electricity to be supplied by such HMGs, while considering a wide spectrum of socioeconomic factors. Door to door household survey was conducted using structured questionnaire to collect respondent data in December 2015 from six off-grid villages under three different administrative districts. Wide variations in current cost of kerosene based lighting and expected load demand were observed among different income groups. Average monthly cost of lighting ranged between USD 3.0 to USD 9.24 and expected electricity usages as 3.60kWh and 33.76kWh. Families with higher income showed least mean satisfaction with kerosene lighting. However, strong mean willingness to switch HMG has been identified regardless of income status. The dichotomous choice contingent valuation method (CVM) was applied for this purpose. The maximum WPT value (USD 0.432/kWh) identified here indicates that a sustainable tariff model can be applied for attracting private investment in this sector

Decentralized Renewable Hybrid Mini-Grids for Sustainable Electrification of the Off-Grid Coastal Areas of Bangladesh

Open Access JournalLack of access to energy is considered as a serious bottleneck for the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Despite earning recognition for promoting solar home systems, most of the rural areas and remote islands of the country still remain non-electrified due to very high unit cost and low quality of electricity from solar home systems (SHS) coupled with only few hours of restricted usages in the evening. Considering the resource potential and demand characteristics at the local level, the present study investigates the hybrid renewable mini-grid approach as a possible solution for universal electricity access in the country. Using Hybrid Optimisation of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) simulation model, the study, covering the whole coastal region of Bangladesh, shows that it is possible to offer a much better quality electricity for 12 h to 18 h a day for as low as USD 0.29–USD 0.31/kWh. Hybrid models suggested in this study can be replicated along the coastal belt and remote islands to obtain maximum diffusion of this technology and hence universal electrification

Smart shopping centers, controlled emission: rooftop PV power generation for a clean metropolitan city Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka, one of the fastest growing cities in the world has around 500 shopping centres, which use unstable electricity supply from the national grid. A medium size shopping centre having 50 shops consumes about 320kWh every day during the daytime business hours between 8am to 5pm. This study proposes a sustainable alternative to replace fossil fuel based electricity consumptions by using rooftop solar panels as renewable energy source. A standard daily load demand estimated by surveying twenty shopping centres at different locations in Dhaka city and the optimal rooftop PV power system designed and financial analysis carried out using the HOMER software. The proposed grid tied 110 kW PV system with 30% capital subsidy, 50% soft loan and 20% investor equity can supply electricity at a cost of USD 0.0382/kWh. The rooftop system consisting 180kW generic flat plate PV and 60kW converter produces 262,000kWh/yr. Because of the complex demand pattern around 22,000kWh electricity are to be purchased from the grid every year and 75,000kWh can be sold back to the grid. The initial subsidized cost for the PV power generation system is USD 133,500 and project net present cost is USD 95,174. While saving substantial amount on the electricity bill and reducing pressure on the country’s limited generation capacity, the 500 installed rooftop PV systems can save 60,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The same model of smart shopping centres can be applied in all the urban areas of the country

Application of solar photovoltaic for enhanced electricity access and sustainable development in developing countries

Energy is a key component for economic growth and social development. Current global warming and climate change concerns have created an urgent need for the transformation of the carbon intensive global energy sector into to a low carbon or carbon neutral alternative based on renewables. Solar and wind are the two most widely deployed renewable energy resources backed by technology leapfrogging, innovative financing and economy of scale to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Solar energy, especially the use of photovoltaic (PV) systems being cost competitive along with their applicability at different scale has made PV-based electrification widely accepted across the continents. This chapter summarizes the role of solar energy in sustainable development in the developing world with focus on PV-based electrification. It shades light on the current status and trend of solar energy integration at the global level while underpinning the opportunities and challenges for developing countries. Finally, a case study of Kenya is used to explain how PV-based electrification can support sustainable development in many other developing countries

Review of LCT systems performance monitoring options: Guidelight (OfgemRound 2: discovery- supporting a just energy transition)

This report presents a systematic review of different options for technical performance monitoring of selected Low Carbon Technologies (LCTs - heat pump, PV and PV-battery) which are commonly deployed by local authorities through different retrofit schemes in low income and vulnerable households. For this purpose, a methodological framework was developed which broadly includes a review of (a) standard monitoring schemes for the selected LCTs, (b) sensors and kits used for performance monitoring of selected LCTs, and (c) performance monitoring of LCTs used by local authorities and related challenges, and (d) selection of innovative monitoring approach based on robustness and applicability to be deployed in future projects

Reducing air conditioning electrical demand in hot arid climates using PV: A case study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the rich sunbelt countries in the world with very large potential for deploying solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies to support transitioning its dependence on fossil fuel dominated electricity sector. The hot arid climate of the country combined with its growing per capita income and cheaper electricity tariff makes KSA having the third largest electrical cooling load in the world. This research investigates how appropriately sized residential rooftop PV system can reduce such a load in KSA's residential sector addressing sustainability and emission reductions. Modelling was carried out to determine the efficacy of an optimally sized grid connected PV system to support different scenarios of the air conditioning loads of a monitored villa in Jeddah where the electrical demand was measured over a period of one year. Techno-economic suitability of the proposed system was analysed within the remit of Electricity Cogeneration and Regulatory Authority's (ECRA) current policy and regulatory framework for small scale solar PV systems. The results show that for a daytime load scenario in the range 33 to 95 kWh/d with an average of 76 kWh/d, a 15 kWp PV array can be used to displace at least 99% of all the daytime electrical loads including cooling loads. However, the economic analysis indicates that without support mechanisms, the longer payback period for the PV system may hinder the uptake of rooftop PV integration in Saudi residential sector.</p

Showcasing Engineering for Development: Rural Electrification Theme

This document provides a summary of the Showcasing Engineering for Development event held at the Royal Academy of Engineering on March 18th, detailing all the presentations and panels

Solar assisted electrical &amp; thermal demand reduction in Saudi Arabia housing: Project team conference abstracts

The 'Solar assisted electrical and thermal demand reduction in Saudi Arabia Housing' research project will contribute to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA’s) renewable energy targets by addressing energy consumption in buildings (60% of consumption in KSA) displacing fossil fuel supplied electrical loads energy with those driven from solar photovoltaics (PV) solar thermal and a combination of storage technologies. This project funded by the Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia was awarded to the Energy and Climate Change Division, University of Southampton and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, King Abdulaziz University to undertake work on solar assisted electrical and thermal demand reduction in Saudi Arabia housing. This document provides the summaries of the 8 abstracts submitted under the Solar Housing KSA research project. This includes 2 for the ISES World Congress (SWC 2021) (25-29 October 2021), 3 for the 16th CISBAT Conference (8-10 September 2021) and 3 for the International Conference on Evolving Cities (ICEC 2021) (22-24 September 2021)