Publication date: 2 April 2023
Author: MDPI / Energies
Description: PV-based mini-grids are identified as a feasible and, often, only economically viable option for the electrification of Kenyan remote and scattered rural areas, where connection to the national grid is challenging, and the related costs are high, if not prohibitive. This paper presents the analysis of typical Kenyan PV mini-grids by using some results of the work in the project “Reliable, Efficient and Sustainable Mini-Grids for Rural Infrastructure Development in Kenya (RESILIENT)”. After presenting average annual and seasonal daily load profiles of residential and small commercial mini-grid customers identified from the measured demands, the paper introduces the main mini-grid components and their models, including a simplified, but reasonably accurate, model of a mini-grid battery storage system based on the manufacturer’s charge–discharge curves.
