Modelling and Validation of Typical PV Mini-Grids in Kenya: Experience from RESILIENT Project

PV-based mini-grids are identified as a feasible and, often, only economically viable option for the electrification of Kenyan remote and scattered rural areas, where connection to the national grid is challenging, and the related costs are high, if not prohibitive. This paper presents the analysis of typical Kenyan PV mini-grids by using some results of the work in the project “Reliable, Efficient and Sustainable Mini-Grids for Rural Infrastructure Development in Kenya (RESILIENT)”. After presenting average annual and seasonal daily load profiles of residential and small commercial mini-grid customers identified from the measured demands, the paper introduces the main mini-grid components and their models, including a simplified, but reasonably accurate, model of a mini-grid battery storage system based on the manufacturer’s charge–discharge curves. All mini-grid components are assembled in a scalable and easily reconfigurable simulation model of an actual Kenyan PV mini-grid, and they are implemented for the evaluation of PV mini-grid performance and the potential for expansion and connection of additional residential and small commercial customers. During the validation of the developed simulation model using available measurement data, an empirical approach for adjusting the PV system output power is specified for a more accurate match with the measurements. The presented results indicate the importance of the information on the actual control algorithms and control settings of the mini-grid energy management systems, on the thermal dependencies and characteristics of both PV generation system and battery storage system, and on the availability of on-site measurements of temperature and input solar irradiance. The developed PV mini-grid model can be used for further analyses, such as to study the techno-economic performance of different mini-grid configurations, to identify the optimal sizing of mini-grid components, and to specify efficient control and operation schemes based on the locally available resources.