The success in limiting climate change and achieving a 2oC pathway will also depend on the solutions deployed to electrify remote areas around the world. Low carbon microgrids are key to this challenge. The required technology for low carbon microgrids exists and many people and industries alike can be economically served with those technology options today. Renewable energy is in many cases the most economical solution for remote electrification, with the Levelised Cost of Electricity lower than diesel , provided diesel is not subsidized. The cost of key technologies’ components will continue to decline as a result of the economies of global scale and innovation. As such, microgrids containing a high share of renewable energy provide reliable electricity supply, while reducing energy bills and CO2 emissions.The participating companies of WBCSD`s Low Carbon Microgrid working group are already scaling up deployment of sustainable low carbon microgrids to meet individual customer needs for reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity. The upcoming communication “Business Case for Low Carbon Microgrids” (to be released at the beginning of 2016) will illustrate the viability of microgrids using case studies to highlight key success factors. The following abstracts showcase some of the case studies that can be replicated to achieve future scale.

BUSINESS CASE FOR LOW CARBON MICROGRIDS

The world’s first high-penetration solar PV diesel power stations were commissioned in 2010 in the remote inland communities of Marble Bar and Nullagine in Western Australia. The utility company Horizon Power decided to test the possibilities for renewable integration when updating the systems that supply these two towns and the adjacent aboriginal communities. The utility worked with ABB and SunPower to design and build the hybrid systems. The microgrid for Marble Bar includes 300 kilowatt (kW) single-axis tracking solar PV, four 320 kW diesel generators, kinetic flywheel grid stabilizing technology and control solutions. The projects’ AUD 30 million capital cost was funded partially by Horizon Power and partially by an AUD 4.9 million Federal Government grant. The hybrid microgrid solutions now supply a combined population of around 400 with 65 percent of their daytime electricity demand through solar generation, saving up to 40 percent (400,000 litres) diesel and 1100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. The systems are now more reliable, have not increased electricity tariffs and have demonstrated the feasibility of high penetration renewables in isolated power systems.

Marble Bar and Nullagine, AustraliaSince 2012, Powerhive East Africa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Powerhive, has been operating microgrid pilots in different villages in the county of Kisii, Kenya, in partnership with the PV modules manufacturer First Solar. The four microgrids constitute a total solar generation capacity of 80 kW and serve four remote villages with over 1500 people (~300 connections), ranging from residential users to small businesses. Powerhive was hence able to test and refine its range of solutions, including several proprietary technologies to design, build and manage advanced 100% solar microgrids (site selection tool, smart meters, cloud-based management tool, etc.). In order to ensure revenues from electricity supply, Powerhive also developed a pre-payment platform on which customers credit their account using mobile services. The pilot projects demonstrated that setting cost reflective tariffs was socially possible, with no need for public subsidies.

Powerhive, Kenya

1 IEA Africa Energy Outlook 2014

The Low Carbon Microgrid working group currently consists of the following companies: