May 03 2022
As part of the mobile minigrid project in Kenya, we have been working with Chemolex and Quantum Conversions in Nairobi, on designing a trailer with 10kW of quickly deployable solar power. So what does that look like? Well 10kW of solar power is BIG! Each 430W panel is over 2mx1m (almost the size of the …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/prototyping-unfolding-solar/
Mar 01 2022
Smart Villages Research Group and project partners Chemolex surveyed more than 11 remote communities in Central and Western Kenya to find a suitable location for trialling of a mobile minigrid system. The report linked below outlines their key research findings. The Maasai Mara communities around Narok proved most promising, as these were the only ones …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/mobile-minigrids-community-site-survey-report/
Mar 01 2022
At Smart Villages Research Group, we truly believe in the importance of a community-led approach. We always start by asking the community to tell us about the challenges they’re facing, through focus groups and service value tests. This helps us ensure that any technology or system we develop will definitely provide value to the community, …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/challenging-assumptions-through-community-engagement/
Jan 03 2022
The Challenge Rural communities in the developing world often require access to high-power equipment, such as for flour milling or welding, but to run these services can require power at the minigrid-scale of more than 10kW. When this equipment is not running, the baseline demand for power is extremely low (a typical solar home system …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/mobile-minigrids-for-rapid-rural-energy-access/
