Microgrids For Sustainable Electricity Supply In African Countries
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Africa is blessed with renewable energy resources. It is becoming increasingly needful to take advantage of these resources, especially as it relates to electricity supply. Electricity availability has been closely linked with economic growth in many countries. Yet, many rural communities do not even have electricity supply of any form and many urban areas do not have a reliable electricity supply. A number of solutions have been proposed to solve the energy crisis in Africa. One common observation is the abundance of renewable energy sources. Microgrids provide a platform to integrate several Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) using centralized control. African Communities can take advantage of their abundant resources by using Distributed Generation which can be fuelled by locally available materials. Solar energy, wind energy and biomass abound in many communities for localized electricity generation; backup systems from fossil fuel generation are readily available in form of diesel and petrol generators. Energy Storage Systems facilitate the integration of variable renewable energy sources by storing energy at low-demand periods for later use during high-demand periods. Microgrids also incorporate Energy Management Systems to promote energy efficiency. Microgrids have been installed in many parts of the world with high success rates. Governments can take advantage of Microgrids for Rural Electrification projects without incurring significant Transmission and Distribution costs associated with large scale power systems. The benefits of Microgrids are numerous and they can be designed to meet specific community needs. This paper explores Microgrid applicability in African countries and the use of renewable resources for electricity generation to facilitate a sustainable energy future
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TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering