Micro-grid

Pash Global, a subsidiary of multinational commodities trader Trafigura Group, has signed a renewables power purchase agreement for a project on the British overseas territory of Saint Helena. The microgrid will help the South Atlantic island’s aim of investing in renewables, reducing diesel dependence and increasing fuel security and price stabilization.

Researchers in Thailand are proposing a wireless monitoring solution for PV in remote locations. The system, based on global standard ZigBee 2.4 GHz wireless technology, can read data and tilt solar panels in auto and manual modes.

The Ethiopian Electric Utility is seeking proposals for 25 mini grid projects which are being backed by the African Development Bank.

The French development agency and the environment ministry have a €1.6 million budget to finance novel off-grid projects from companies and NGOs operating with local partners in Africa.

A new IRENA report highlights how large-scale storage systems can be thought of as “virtual power lines” that enhance the performance and reliability of power networks when congestion occurs. It expects global storage capacity from large-scale batteries to grow from about 11 GWh at present to between 100 GWh and 167 GWh by 2030.

Grid expert Andrea Mansoldo tells pv magazine how energy markets based on solar and storage are feasible as an alternative to costly grid infrastructure work. He says around 6 GWh of battery capacity may be a good alternative to building 1000km of power line or an AC 750 kV high-voltage line.

The micro-grid will convert electricity into hydrogen by using a power-to-gas technology.

Research by scientists at the Queen Mary University of London, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Gottingen, alongside German and Japanese researchers, has sought to analyze the impact of renewables and trading on power grid frequency fluctuations.

The computer-based algorithm seeks to make the micro-grid work like a large power grid with inertia, thus improving its stability and reliability.

The €5.7 million project is being part-financed by the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme and the government of Eritrea to deliver solar electricity to up to 40,000 homes and businesses in the remotest parts of the country.