Resolving West Africa’s Electricity Dilemma through the Pursuit of Smart Grid Opportunities

Cheikh Dramé, Independent Researcher

Presentation Prepared for the ITS Biennial Conference

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 30th – December 03rd, 2014

POOR ELECTRICITY ACCESS in WA

Technical AspectsFinancial AspectsRegulatory Aspects

Inadequate generation

Transmission & distribution capacity/losses

High electricty costs

Lack of adequate financing

Weak regulatory frameworks

Lack of pro-energy efficiency policy incentives

Low rural electrification

Population growth

Non-technical losses/fraud

Social Aspects

SUPPLY SIDE CONSTRAINTS

Industrialization

Income growth

Lack of adequate R&D structures

Economic Aspects

DEMAND SIDE CONSTRAINTS

West Africa’s Electricity Dilemma

Smart Grid as West Africa’s Electricity Dilemma Solution?

Smart Grid Opportunities Framework for West Africa

Côte d’Ivoire Case Study

Socio-Economic Aspects

Opportunities

Smart meters Smart sensors, intelligent switches and interrupters Small scale renewable energy technologies (RET) Smart grid technologies R&D structures

Regulatory Aspects

Opportunities

ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA)

Regulatory responsibilities in smart grid environment

New entrants access to smart meters and metering data (Kranz & Picot, 2013)

Facilitate innovative services (Kranz & Picot, 2013) Develop and enforce consumers’ data privacy and security policies (Coney, 2013)

Financial Aspects

Main issue

Opportunity

Greater Public Private Partnership (PPP)

Technical Aspects

Opportunities

Distributed Energy Sources Adaptive voltage controls (Welsch, Bazilian, Howells, & Divan, 2013) Upgraded transmission and distribution infrastructures

Telecommunications & Electricity Nexus: The Case of Côte d’Ivoire

Didievi Pilot Project Installation of 250 smart meters in March 2014 Rural population acceptance of smart meters Technical staff relieved from manually reading and recording electricity consumption

Sources: Africa Smart Grid Forum, (Kouassi, 2014)

Power Line Communication (PLC) Deployment AWALE built and operates optical fiber and PLC Strong demand from cell phone operators and Internet providers Low risk of vandalism with PLC in contrast to telephone cables

Conclusion

Electricity dilemma = Poor electricity access Regulatory constraints Social and economics constraints - Demand Side Financial and technical constraints - Supply Side

Key smart grid features for West Africa Smart meters Power line communications Off-grid small scale renewable energy technologies (RETs)

OBRIGADO