Mini-Grids

Electrifying rural areas

In areas where the difficult terrain makes the connection of a household or a business to the national grid difficult or impossible, mini-grids make a decisive contribution towards their electrification.

Mini-grids are off-grid electricity networks that enable the distribution of electricity from various small scale power sources such as PV or MHP systems to the connected households or businesses. Especially with regard to the electrification of many rural areas in Afghanistan, mini-grids can make a real difference concerning basic access to electricity. Access to electricity can boost economic and social progress and thus, mini-grids enable a transformative development that leaves no one behind.

Mini Grids

Interactive Application

In this application, you will build renewable energy plants and produce electricity that fosters social and economic progress. Once you extend your generation capacities, a household, a small business and a clinic can be electrified. Can you balance production and consumption and electrify the village?

The Bamiyan 1 MWp solar mini-grid

The Bamiyan mini-grid is one of the largest solar hybrid mini-grids in the world used to power an off-grid rural provincial center. Installed in 2013 it provides access to electricity for more than 2,400 households. It’s 1,050 kW of power is divided between four generation sites. Each of the four systems uses PV modules which provide the primary generation source, with the diesel as secondary source, and batteries for energy storage. Mini-grids with battery storage can charge them during the day, using any excess electricity at night.

The system’s size allows it to provide enough electricity to power institutional and commercial loads in addition to meeting household needs 24 hours a day. For most of the year, the PV system provides all of the power to the loads during the day while charging the batteries. During nighttime and times of poor solar irradiation, a diesel generator on site will automatically start and charge the batteries.

The Bamiyan Renewable Energy Program (BREP) with its PV mini-grid is a good example for the electrification of rural areas with renewable energy sources. More PV modules or a nearby MHP could be used to plan the next mini-grid even without the diesel generators.

PV plant feeding mini-grid in Rustaq district, Takhr province

Some areas in Afghanistan are difficult to reach. In such rural areas, mini-grids can provide cost-effective, reliable and clean electricity.

Households and businesses can be connected directly to a local power source using the energy from the sun (PV) or the river (MHP).

A simple distribution network will be built up to connect the power generating plant with the consumers (households or businesses).

These households are connected through a cable coming from the wooden pole on the right of this photo.

The PV plant can be secured to prevent from theft.

Ground-mounted structure placed in concrete and no cables visible - perfect installation of this PV plant.

The technician’s room – 16 batteries, one charge controller, two inverters and a fuse box with well-organized cabling.

Different PV plant that can provide electricity to a number of households and businesses.

What are the main opportunities?

Provides reliable access to electricity even in remote places
Fosters economic and social progress
Cost-effective solution from small scale to utility scale
Potential to connect them to larger grids and therefore, can be used as a storage to bring down volatility of the grid
Perfect integration of renewable energy sources, especially PV and MHP

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