The Big Impact of Mini-Grids in Mali’s Rural Areas
11 May 2022 | Articles
Policies and Benefits
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Access to electricity is a central building block of socio-economic development. It empowers people and communities to increase their income and productivity, enhance their access to healthcare, water and education, and improve their overall well-being. Without universal access to modern energy services, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030 will be almost impossible.
The good news is that the technology solutions needed to extend electricity access to the over 780 million people already exists. The business case to deploy off-grid renewable energy solutions (stand-alone and mini-grid systems) in rural areas has never been stronger. Costs have fallen dramatically – by more than 80% since 2010 for PV panels, for example, with substantial improvements in technology efficiency and reliability. The modularity of renewable energy technologies mean that they can be rapidly deployed and customised to meet energy demand using locally available resources and capacities.
An estimated 60% of the additional power generation needed to achieve universal access must come from off-grid solutions. Most of these will involve mini-grids – isolated, community-level power grids that can eventually be absorbed into the main grid or may continue to operate autonomously. Dedicated policies and regulations are crucial to facilitate the deployment of off-grid solutions. IRENA analyses best practices and lessons learnt from diverse country experiences and provides policy advice on the design of tailored policies and regulations to accelerate deployment and maximise benefits for well-being and livelihoods.
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Policies and regulations for renewable energy mini-grids
Countries have adopted varied approaches to mini-grid development, aiming to extend energy access to underserved communities. But existing regulations are often inadequate to make the best use of renewables.
- October 2018
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- Off-grid for Energy Access, Policy
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- English
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- Cambodia, Indonesia
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