A modular scalable electrification network for Sub-Saharan Africa

Access to reliable electricity remains a critical challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa, where conventional centralized grids and standalone solar home systems often fail to meet rural energy needs. This paper presents the real-world deployment of a scalable, modular picogrid electrification network in Nomzamo Agricultural Village, South Africa. Using a phased approach, 92.5% of households were electrified. Tier 2 systems provide lighting and mobile phone charging whilst an expanded configuration supports communal refrigeration that addresses the high cost of refrigeration by allowing users to pay a monthly fee of USD 1.50 for 15 L of storage space. Deployment was supported by the Peco Champion community model and a rent-to-own payment structure, enabling users to acquire ownership for USD 5 per month over 12 months. Acceptance was evaluated through combined qualitative and quantitative surveys, revealing that 67.7% of users were satisfied, 26.4% were probably satisfied and 5.9% were dissatisfied. Users also expressed interest in expanding their picogrids as this provides a pathway to cooking electrically which is the most desired functionality. The results demonstrate that modular picogrids, integrated with community engagement and flexible payment schemes, can deliver high electrification coverage, enable productive uses such as refrigeration and form the foundation for bottom-up rural electrification. The paper discusses deployment methodology and challenges, lessons learned and potential strategies for scaling up the presented approach to electrifying Sub-Saharan Africa. • Presents large-scale field deployments of autonomous DC picogrids in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Achieves 92.5% household electrification across 408 dwellings using a modular plug-and-play architecture. • Demonstrates a scalable bottom-up electrification network enabling future microgrid clustering. • Introduces a rent-to-own model with self-locking technology enabling high payment compliance. • Records 98.3% system uptime during 18 months, with only a single hardware failure.

Modular design · Refrigeration · Scalability · Software deployment · Energy and Environment Impacts · Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems · Integrated Energy Systems Optimization

• Bus voltage level choice for standalone residential DC nanogrid

  Open Access•Sonia Moussa, Manel Jebali-Ben Ghorbal et al.•Sustainable Cities and Society•2019

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