Renewable electricity for 20 000 off-grid consumers in Africa by 2027
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A groundbreaking initiative, RePower, is set to illuminate the future of renewable energy and rural electrification. This ambitious project, funded by the European Union, aims to significantly enhance the penetration of renewable energy through innovative plug-and-play microgrids.
With a total project cost of approximately 12.7 million euros, of which the EU is contributing up to 9.9 million euros, RePower stands as a testament to Europe’s commitment to sustainable energy and global development.
RePower, formally known as “Improving Renewables Penetration Through Plug and Play Microgrids”, is a pioneering four-year initiative. It seeks to address a critical global challenge: Nearly 800 million people, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, lack access to electricity. By 2030, this number is projected to increase in line with population, making initiatives such as RePower essential to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7: to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
Moses Mengu, senior project leader at the Danish Technological Institute, highlights the project’s unique approach: “RePower will empower African off-grid communities to power their own development through the productive use of energy, moving beyond traditional electrification to drive true economic growth”.
The project will install advanced microgrids in Madagascar, Niger, Senegal and a replication site in Ghana. The goal is to provide electricity to 20 000 off-grid consumers by 2026.
These microgrids, based on the containerised Solartainer® system, will combine solar photovoltaic panels, battery energy storage systems, biomass combined heat and power units, and energy management systems to deliver reliable renewable energy to off-grid consumers. By reducing the time required to deploy microgrids through a modular design and increasing reliability and resilience, the project aims to cut electricity costs from one euro to about 0.3 to 0.4 euros per kWh.
Corneliu Barbu, RePower project co-ordinator and associate professor at Aarhus University, emphasises the scalability of the project: “Our work in Madagascar, Niger, Senegal and Ghana provides a blueprint to scale up successful use cases, developing a process for the industrialisation of microgrids. This will cater not only to immediate energy needs but also anticipate future community development.”
The RePower project aims to enable social and economic opportunities for people living in remote, rural areas. The benefits of RePower go beyond electrification and include capacity building and stakeholder engagement. In terms of capacity building, the project will set up hubs to train 50 renewable energy technicians in the short term and many more beyond the life of the project. The project seeks to engage with all stakeholders, from grassroots organisations to businesses and governments, to seek solutions that are tailored to local needs and sustainable in the long term.
