African sustainable microgrid development with solar PV and energy storage

This research project developed a microgrid using solar PV to electrify remote communities in the DRC. Given that solar energy is intermittent and is not available during night-time when the electricity demand is usually at its peak, the microgrid was configured with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. Also given that the BESS is a high-cost component, the microgrid considered the introduction of a biogas generator, to reduce the BESS architecture which subsequently reduces the cost of the implementation and operation of the system. The microgrid configuration was modeled and simulated using HOMER Pro to determine its techno-economic viability for the electrification of the community compared to the extension of the existing networks.

Ethic reference number: 2021FEREC-STD-05