Battery system; Energy access; Energy justice; Energy sharing; Solar home system; Swarm electrification; Battery state of charge; Battery systems; Decentralised; Energy distributions; Energy justices; Energy sharings; Setpoints; Control and Systems Engineering; Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Energy Engineering and Power Technology; Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Abstract :
[en] In rural electrification, decentralized systems have proven to bring fast, affordable, and sustainable electricity supply for the last mile of energy access. Especially, solar home systems (SHS) have lately increased in number and impact. Recently, a new concept promises even better utilization of SHS and the potential for higher access to electricity. This concept is found under the name of swarm electrification, also known as interconnected SHS, nanogrids, or decentralized DC systems in rural areas. This paper studies the benefits of such interconnected SHS for a case study in the indigenous rural Highlands of Bolivia, an area called Raqaypampa. Our study emphasizes analyzing the energy sharing setpoints for the decentralized battery control and how the choice of these values influences energy distribution in the community. We draw concepts of energy justice into our discussion to evaluate different combinations of battery state of charge setpoints. Our study finds four types of households in Raqaypampa based on their demand for electricity. The modeled and simulated results of a potential energy sharing through interconnected SHS reveal three outcomes for the households based on the battery state of charge setpoints: Outcome I — Improving households, Outcome II — Depending households, and Outcome III — Deteriorating households. We conclude that a common approach of e.g. minimization of total unmet demand alone will not necessarily lead to just energy distribution, and it is crucial to integrate discussions about justice and community goals into the design process from the beginning.
Disciplines :
Energy
Author, co-author :
Fuchs, Ida ; Department of Electric Energy, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Sanchez Solis, Claudia Lorena ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Aérospatiale et Mécanique (A&M) ; Centro Universitario de Investigacion en Energias, Universidad Mayor de San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Balderrama, Sergio ; Centro Universitario de Investigacion en Energias, Universidad Mayor de San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Valkenburg, Govert ; Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Language :
English
Title :
Swarm electrification for Raqaypampa: Impact of different battery control setpoints on energy sharing in interconnected solar homes systems
ARES CCD - Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur. Coopération au Développement NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Funding text :
We are grateful to the Centro Universitario de Investigaciones en Energ\u00EDas at Universidad Mayor de San Simon (UMSS) in Cochabamba, Bolivia and the Acad\u00E9mie de recherche et d'enseignement sup\u00E9\u00E9rieur (ARES) in Belgium. The research exchanges and the insights gained from the deployment of solar home systems in Raqaypampa have been instrumental in shaping our perspectives on rural electrification.An electrification initiative is underway in three communities as part of a Research for Development Project, funded by the Belgian institution Acad\u00E9mie de recherche et d\u2019enseignement sup\u00E9rieur (ARES). This project involves distributing 100 SHS to families through a co-financing model, where users contribute 20% of the total cost. The process began with informational meetings with community leaders to discuss the project\u2019s objectives in collaboration with researchers and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The selection of SHS was done collaboratively, with various system options presented to future users and community leaders. During these meetings, the technical and economic features of each option were explained in detail, and the final selection was made through a consensus-driven discussion involving both authorities and community members, taking into account needs and economic possibilities. The SHS characteristics are presented in Table 1 .
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