DECENTRALISED RENEWABLE ENERGY (DRE) Design, Installation and Maintenance of Solar Mini-Grid Systems

Over 770 million people in the world do not have access to electricity. Most of them live in energy-poor countries, many of which are in the Global South and are home to half the world’s population. By 2050, these countries, which attract far fewer investments in renewables compared to their richer counterparts, could produce 75 per cent of the world’s emissions

The only way their power woes can be solved is through decentralised distributed energy – electricity that is supplied in a reliable, clean, green and affordable manner. Renewable mini-grids have the potential to do this. A mini-grid can effectively manage the household and commercial electricity demand by generating electricity at the point of consumption.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is offering a tailor-made three-days residential training programme on Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) systems, with the focus on solar mini-grid. The objective of the training is to bridge the knowledge gap and develop specific skills for enabling relevant stakeholders, entrepreneurs and plant operators/ technicians to understand challenges, techno-economic feasibility, and financial viability of setting up solar mini-grid systems. The programme will include an overview of concepts, components and safety with a specific focus on technical standards of solar mini-grids as well as anticipated business models.

However, mini-grids are fraught with several challenges in terms of varying tariffs, operational uncertainties with respect to grid penetration, demand side management, flexibility of design, and capacity to cater to various income generating activities and/or village level entrepreneurship (cold storage, milling, oil expelling, power looms, small food processing units etc). In order to encourage mini grid-based activities, the community needs to be guided/provided with access to market and supporting ecosystems such as government schemes.

WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN/TAKE AWAY

• Concept of mini-grid, site selection criteria and demand assessment
• Best practices for communities and developers
• Mini-grid design principles
• Economics of and business opportunities for mini-grids
• Operational challenges, monitoring, maintenance and troubleshooting
• Community engagement and sustainability

SOME IMPORTANT POINTS

• Confirmed participants must make travel arrangements in a way so that they arrive in Delhi on July 25 by 12 noon.
• After reaching Delhi, all participants should make their way to the CSE office at 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, near Batra Hospital (Mehrauli-Badarpur road), New Delhi-110062.
• From here, CSE buses will ferry them to the training campus of AAETI at Nimli, near Alwar. The time taken in this travel would be three hours approximately.
• Participants can make their return travel arrangements (departure from Delhi) for July 28 after 6 PM. CSE buses will ferry them back till Delhi.
• Twin-sharing accommodation for three nights will be available at AAETI. The AAETI canteen will be serving all meals to the participants.
• Participants should carry walking shoes.
• AAETI is a specially designed campus, conceptualised and built to facilitate the practise of sustainable living. Please follow the ground rules laid down for it.

For Registration Click Here

FOR FURTHER DETAILS, PLEASE CONTACT THE COURSE COORDINATOR

Binit Das
Programme Manager
Renewable Energy Unit, CSE
Mobile: +91 80933 26269
Email: retraining@cseindia.org