Solar PV Minigrid Technology: Peak Shaving Analysis in the East African Community Countries
Table 30
Minigrid operation models in East Africa.
Model type
Description
Ref.
Independent Power Producer (IPP)
Minigrids manage the generation and sale of power to a national utility, the payment is made under a PPA. These minigrids are constructed using a PPP whereby he Government provides the land, electricity distribution assets, and other support structures through rural electrification authorities.
This model gives allows the minigrid operators to do electricity distribution and supply. However, the minigrid can do generation or buy the electricity from elsewhere, i.e., from the national grid and retail to end-users. This arrangement has a definite period and specific location. The private company is therefore responsible for the distribution, supply, and revenue collection. However, in some cases, they also choose to do generation and transmission.
The minigrid operator is in charge of distribution, supply, and revenue collection of power within a 50.0 kW capacity. These minigrids are usually movable and therefore can be relocated.
This is based on the creation of power utilization density by supporting additional services that increase power consumption and increase revenues.
Field interview
Public model
Using this model, a national institution constructs and manages the generation, transmission, and distribution assets. Other national institutions, i.e., the national utility operates and maintains the assets while another institution develops regulation tools like tariffs and approves them.
