DC-Microgrids as a means of Rural Development in East African Countries

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 3 billion people burn wood, crop wastes, charcoal, coal and animal dung to meet their day to day energy needs and among these nearly 1.3 billion people do not have electricity access. More than 80% of the population suffering from energy poverty are living in rural areas of developing countries, such as in East Africa. On the other hand, the potential of renewable energy resources in East African countries is huge. However, such resources are usually intermittent and therefore the use of renewable energy sources to provide modern energy access with a good reliability level, for the remote locations with lack of energy access, is still an issue. With this regard, one of the emerging technologies to solve accessibility of energy in rural and remote areas is DC-microgrids. This paper assessed the use of off-grid systems in different developing countries and presents the results in improving energy access, especially in rural and remote locations. The results indicate that the experience of some Asian countries and Tanzania in East Africa could be a good example for other East African countries to invest in off-grid systems and address energy access problems in their rural and remote locations. On the other hand, there are challenges related to financing and lack of trained man power in East African countries.