In an age when missions to Mars are actually in the planning stages, it seems difficult to imagine that nearly two-thirds of Africa’s population lack access to reliable power and the innumerable benefits that come with it.
Yet in the same way the advent of cellular technology enabled the African continent to simply skip cumbersome, costly landline infrastructure and move directly into the mobile era, so too is microgrid technology enabling a growing number of communities to bypass conventional electrical grids and produce their own direct or supplemental energy.
“From Nigeria to Zambia, Uganda, Madagascar and beyond, millions of people are now benefiting from increased access to clean, reliable and locally produced electricity,” writes Kathy Hitchens for Microgrid Knowledge.
The result? The microgrids are providing these communities with opportunities to:
- Grow economically
- Reduce poverty
- Improve access to clean water
- Deliver reliable Internet
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that last year Africa added a record 4,400MW of renewable power-generating capacity. They did this thanks in large part to dramatic reductions in the cost of solar panels and wind turbines. Rooftop solar is helping providing modest amounts of power to homes, clinics, and businesses.
For example, beginning with its Smart Power for Rural Development in India program, the Rockefeller Foundation has been at work finding ways to place microgrids in impoverished regions. By connecting with local businesses willing to erect large solar farms, development of microgrids is made easier. And by delivering reliable power to mostly agrarian enterprises, whole economies spring to life.
“If you want to drive the productive use of electricity and move people up the economic ladder, then you need a minigrid,” says Deepali Khanna of the Rockefeller Foundation. In India, Khanna said that once minigrids (another name for microgrids) were in place, local farmers began adopting other technologies such as smartphones for weather forecasting and irrigation pumps for crops.
What seems abundantly clear is that the the advent of cheaper renewable energies, evolving microgrid technologies, and the commitment of forward-looking organizations are combining to bring reliable, sustainable energy to Africa along with the myriad opportunities that come with it.
