Low Cost On-grid Electrification Technologies

3-4 September 20132. The workshop took place in Arusha and was hosted by the Rural Energy Agency (REA) Tanzania. 

This workshop was organized through the Africa Electrification Initiative (AEI), a collaboration between the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), the Africa Renewable Energy Access Program (AFREA), the EU Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility, the Forum of African Energy Ministers (FEMA), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Energizing Development Partnership (EnDev) and the World Bank.

The EUEI PDF and the Africa Electrification Initiative (AEI) are aiming at empowering energy practitioners and decision-makers in Saharan Africa with the knowledge needed to successfully implement low-cost rural electrification. 

Solid biomass is the dominant form of energy in Angola and it is used unsustainably. Traditional, inefficient uses of biomass for cooking should be replaced by viable and cleaner alternatives like liquid and gas biofuels or the new-type efficient wood-burners.

The specific objectives were to:

• Raise awareness about the existence of appropriate low-cost rural electrification technologies.
• Show how and where these technologies have been implemented successfully.
• Build capacity on implementing these technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

More than 50 practitioners from 13 different countries followed the inivtation. Expert presentations and panel discussions on the various low cost technologies provided participants with detailed information on potentials and challenges; targeted case studies were carried out using the information collected by participants from their own countries.

The findings of the workshop will be compiled into a learning handbook and disseminated among participants and various rural electrification authorities, regulators, ministries and utilities in Sub Saharan Africa.

5 September 2013. It was followed by a one day work shop on Mini-Grids Opportunities for Rural Development in Africa. A “Mini-grid” is an isolated, low-voltage distribution grid, providing electricity to a community – typically a village or very small town. It is normally supplied by one source of electricity, e.g. diesel generators, a solar PV installation, a micro-hydro station etc., or a combination of the above.This workshop discussed: 

• experiences on mini-grid technology application in Africa; 
• deployment success factors; 
• recommendations and tools to improve policy and regulatory frameworks; 
• experiences on best practices; and successful project development processes and operation. 

The workshop attracted: decision-makers from public authorities; technical staff and practitioners from public authorities; advisors, regulators, engineers and representatives from standards authorities; private sector project developers; local business associations; civil society; and development partners.