Mini-Grids in Africa: Experience from the Field

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | 10:45 - 12:00

A mini-grid involves setting up an electricity service that should be sustainable during the operation of the power plant (more than 20 years). Therefore, important efforts should be taken regarding the technical part, as well as the financial, operational and social aspects. Furthermore, every mini-grid has a different context and characteristics. For this reason, technology and management models should be adapted to every community, raising awareness regarding the best use of a limited source of energy. Finally, a mini-grid project, especially in Africa, is a long-term project. Robust, reliable and versatile equipment adapted to the management model should be used for ensuring the sustainability along the project lifecycle.

This presentation will discuss these key factors behind the successful deployment of microgrids in off-grid environments. Studer Innotec has provided equipment for a large number of these kind of projects. The presentation will provide details from the field regarding eight mini-grids in Chad and Ghana, operating since 2014, 2015 and 2016.

    Rural Microgrids
    Pablo Muñoz
    Technical Support Manager
    Studer Innotec SA


    A versatile engineer specializing in solar mini-grids and access to energy, Pablo Muñoz has more than ten years of international experience in the engineering and development sectors. Currently working as Technical Support Manager at Studer-Innotec, Pablo is responsible for the commercial support of off-grid products, design, configuration, operation and management. He leads customer training sessions both in factory and on field.

    Prior to this, Pablo was a field engineer at Trama TecnoAmbiental, an engineering company specializing in rural electrification, mini-grids and off-grid projects. He was in charge of implementing three mini-grids in Chad and five in Ghana. In addition, Pablo has experience working as technical consultant in Senegal and South Africa. He spent three years working in business development in the EMEA region at Aries Ingenieria y Sistemas, focusing on commercial solar PV and CSP projects.