Multi-user Solar hybrid Microgrid (MSG) in Intercontinental BR of the Mediterranean (Morocco).
Akane is a rural community in Chefchaouen province which, according to the Office Nationale d’Electricité’s (ONE) rural electrification plans, was at the time not due to be electrified in the next ten years. This project involved the electrification of a community of 24 families and around 120 people, through Multi-user solar hybrid grids (MSGs). The MSG system gave the community installations that provide electricity for domestic consumption as well as social and collective consumption (school, mosque, public lighting, café, shops) and also for productive uses (water pumping, grain mill, oil press, arts and crafts etc.) promoted during the project.
80% of the pilot project was financed with funds from the Spanish Cooperation Agency (AECID). The remaining 20% came from the local community.
Engineering firm Trama Tecno Ambiental (TTA) was in charge of project coordination and design together with the Instituto Catalán de Energía (ICAEN ), the Instituto de Promoción y Apoyo al Desarrollo (IPADE ) and the local NGO Asociación de Desarrollo Local de Chefchaouen (ADL).
The microgrid is composed of a 5.6 kWp PV installation, a 72 kWh battery bank, a 6kW battery charge controller, a 7.2kW inverter/rectifer and an 8.2kW back-up diesel genset. EDA meters that limit consumption were installed at all electrical access points to manage demand. The generation building contains most of the system components, with the PV array on the rooftop. A generation management unit was installed that provides information on current generation and energy availability. The interface provides local technicians with the system’s operation and current status, along with storing the long-term information on the system. 95% of the electricity consumed is expected to come from renewable sources.
In addition, the project involved the development of infrastructure, which included the distribution network, the construction of a building (“House of Light”- Dardou), as well as the training programme and technology transfer.
More information:
IEA-RETD REMOTE Project
