Providing Electricity Services to Rural Africa

The international community has set ambitious goals aimed at improving the quality of life in Africa. Initial delivery of electric service to rural Africa is far from a "one size fits all" technical solution, especially given the seasonal diversity of energy needs, as well as the availability and quality of candidate renewable energy resources. Nor will be the expansion, and potential integration, of those systems over time be a simple task. To design, implement and operate cost-effective and reliable rural electricity systems many factors must be taken into account. The technical and economic feasibility of different systems is highly dependent on a diverse set of design criteria: local energy demands (daily, seasonal); available renewable resources (quantity and quality); location relative to conventional fuel supplies and/or grid power; plus how these factors may vary over time. Dynamics among technical and institutional aspects are key, as are understanding the relative economic value of staged electric service introductions. Key design factors towards the deployment of electricity services will be identified and assessed.