Solar mini-grids: a technical overview

This article presents a technical overview of decentralized solutions for access to energy and in particular, solar mini-grids.

Alongside centralized electrification which is still the main approach, stand-alone solutions are now emerging as a promising alternative for electrifying rural populations. Buoyant technical innovations around stand-alone solutions, especially based on solar energy, are rocketting: mini-grids, energy kiosks, containers, kits, solar lamps, plug & play solar home systems (SHS), among others1.

Among this range of solutions, my research focuses on solar mini-grids, that is to say collective autonomous solutions which can technically be considered as an infrastructure and involve a form of governance specific to the common2.

The components of solar mini-grids

Solar stand-alone systems – graph retrieved from the MOOC Solar Energy: Photovoltaic (PV) Systems; TU Delft

Solar mini-grids generate electricity from solar radiation: this is we can summarize, in a few words, the role of these systems. The conversion of solar energy into electrical energy, then its distribution is carried out through the assembly of multiple components such as photovoltaic panels, cables, charge regulators, sometimes coupled with storage systems and transformation of direct current into alternating currents (inverters). They are also sometimes paired up with diesel generators under the name of “hybrid solar-diesel mini-grids”. We will refer to solar mini-grids and these hybrids under the generic term of “solar mini-grids”. More recently, monitoring and control systems such as smart electricity meters have been added to the panoply of mini-grids, sometimes referred to as “third-generation mini-grids”3.

Compared with other infrastructures, solar mini-grids are relatively standardized. Indeed, if it is possible to build, with local materials, local skills and various designs, latrines, bridges, drainage systems, forms of housing or even cooking equipment, the solar mini-grids, on the other hand, require technical components produced by specialized companies and skills that differentiate them from low tech and “indigenous innovations”4.

Despite this relative standardization, not all mini-grids are technically identical. What is the potential to adapt these systems to local conditions, both technically, socially and economically? This research notebook will allow us to come back in detail to the characteristics of mini-grids for rural electrification.

  1. Jacquemot, P., & Reboulet, M.-N. (2017/12). Options technologiques et modèles d’organisation de l’électrification rurale en Afrique. Retours d’expériences. Afrique Contemporaine, 261 – 262, 155 -184; Numminen, S., & Lund, P. (2016). Frugal energy innovations for developing countries –a framework. Global Challenges, 1(1), 9 – 19 []
  2. Berthélemy, J.-C. (2016). Les mini-réseaux électriques comme exemple d’application des thèses d’Elinor Ostrom sur la gouvernance polycentrique de la tragédie des communs. Revue d’économie du développement, 24, 85-106 []
  3. “The typical third-generation mini grid is grid-interconnection ready; uses remote management systems, prepay smart meters, and the latest solar-hybrid technologies; and incorporates energy-efficient appliances for productive uses of electricity into its business model”, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). (2019). Mini Grids for Half a Billion People : Market Outlook and Handbook for Decision Makers. World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy/publication/mini-grids-for-half-a-billion-people []
  4. Gupta, AK (2006). From sink to source: The Honey Bee Network documents indigenous knowledge and innovations in India. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 1 (3), 49-66. []

OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Emilie Etienne (23 août 2021). Solar mini-grids: a technical overview. Sustainability in the Global South. Consulté le 1 mai 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/umpf


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