Research and design of a feasibility framework to assess potential locations for the development of microgrids to provide rural areas with electricity

Abstract

Today 19% of the global population has no access to electricity. Most of these people live in rural areas. These 1,4 billion people would benefit from electricity access for five reasons: their health, education, local economy, sense of safety and communication will benefit. This thesis focuses on off-grid microgrids, with no extension to a main grid. It targets areas where there is no access to electricity yet and that are so remote that a grid extension is at this point not considered viable. There-fore an off-grid solution like a microgrid will be a good solution. We will look to expand the currently available sources of energy with electricity from renewable sources. Public and private parties that want to realize rural electrification want to make an informed decision about where to start their electrification efforts. They want to know what location is feasible for the development of a microgrid. Such a public-private partnership wants to be able to assess the feasibility of a possible microgrid location before it starts development. Therefore the main research question we want to answer is: How can public and private parties, which aim for the electrification of rural areas, assess the feasibility of a location for the development of a microgrid?