Demand Side Renewables for Agricultural Base Load Energy (DeSiRABLE) project is outlined to explore productive uses of electricity to support socio-economic growth in off-grid rural Africa. Through our previous Energy Catalyst Round 4 project, EVERESST DC, we established that DC energy services, centred around an Anchor Base Load can provide better value energy provision than electricity supply through diesel generators (DG). In addition, such provisions also open up large numbers of energy access opportunities to support rural development enhancing growth and eradication poverty. However, in such applications each system is to some degree bespoke, depending on the Anchor Base Load and local community’s requirements.
Within this project we aim to develop renewable energy technology (mainly PV) platforms to support agricultural loads and provide additional energy services to enhance local enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. Further, a toolbox that will allow us to quickly and accurately determine cost effective solutions including, system size and additional energy services for rural communities will be developed. Within the toolbox, these platforms will be integrated with a DC micro grid system that can support each of these opportunities, tailoring them to specific needs.
Through DeSiRABLE research, development and deployment we focus on off-grid rural Milk Collection centres (MCC) to replace existing diesel generator based cooling with PV-battery power system and reduce cost of operation for the wider benefit of the community. Two MCCS will be used as case studies for PV power integration for milk chilling, hot water wash, energy hub for community and other potential uses.
Such integrated systems, designed for high autonomy in order to deliver a reliability of energy services surpassing that provided by diesel, designed to also create spare capacity during times of high renewable energy availability, e.g. solar irradiation. Engaging the local community to make best use of this spare capacity represents a “leapfrogging” adoption of demand side response, an approach to energy management only now being trialled in many developed counties including the UK.
See more updates on DeSiRABLE here
