Demand Response enabled Inexpensive Energy Access in Solar Photovoltaic Minigrids
Globally, three-quarter of a billion people live without electricity - a tenth of them in 'situations of displacement'. Besides, hundreds of millions only use a solar lantern. The access-deprived are predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Solar photovoltaic powered mini-grids are increasingly extending service to the access- deprived. But, poor load-factor and expensive storage adversely impacts minigrid viability. The presence of productive loads could be favorable for the minigrid economy but, so do demand response-enabled critical household loads. Households can collaborate under a minigrid-governed demand response program. Collaborative consumption can lower initial investment and reduce the cost of energy while bettering efficiency and minigrid viability. Moreover, fast deployment needs during and after a pandemic remain inherently supported while mitigating some of the pandemic-induced financial stress of both the minigrid consumer and the minigrid operator. This study of 88 nation-states in the Global South underscores that integration of demand response in a solar photovoltaic-powered minigrid can bring affordable electricity access to one hundred and eighty-five million access-deprived people.
Key Learning Points:
- Three-quarter of a billion people live without electricity in the Global South
- Power-limited solar photovoltaic supply commonly expands electricity access
- Demand response facilitates powering larger loads with limited supply capacity
- Fast deployment and affordable electricity is viable in Covid-19 like pandemics
- Reliable electricity may emancipate hundreds of millions of promising lives
Manojit Ray
Doctoral Fellow
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Manojit served in the energy industry for nearly two decades in India, the United States, and Hong Kong. He has contributed to federal and state solar policy formulation and operating norm fixation for medium and large power stations in India. He drafted a novel behavior-anchored electricity demand modifier as a graduate researcher at the University of Toronto, Canada. An engineering graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and a management graduate of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Manojit currently works on making isolated solar photovoltaic minigrids bankable and affordable with the integration of evolving low cost technology, innovative business models, and blended finance.
Doctoral Fellow
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Manojit served in the energy industry for nearly two decades in India, the United States, and Hong Kong. He has contributed to federal and state solar policy formulation and operating norm fixation for medium and large power stations in India. He drafted a novel behavior-anchored electricity demand modifier as a graduate researcher at the University of Toronto, Canada. An engineering graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and a management graduate of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Manojit currently works on making isolated solar photovoltaic minigrids bankable and affordable with the integration of evolving low cost technology, innovative business models, and blended finance.