The aim of the project, which was undertaken by German microgrid specialist DHYBRID with support from the Maldivian Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, was to improve energy generation on the islands and reduce reliance on imported diesel.
This will reduce both emissions and the costs of energy, which at US$0.20-0.70 have been among the highest in southern Asia.
The 26 island microgrids on the Shaviyani and Noonu Atolls in the north of the Maldives comprise approximately 2.65MW of solar energy capacity and around 3.2MWh of battery storage, with diesel for back-up. The microgrids are connected with central monitoring and control through a shared SCADA system.
The impacts are reported to have been immediately noticeable. For example, on Fohdoo, a 100kW PV installation supplies almost one-third of the island’s electricity, saving around 35,000l of diesel per year.
“The generator remains shut off for the majority of the day,” says Abdulla Nashith, Director of the Technical Services and Green Energy Department of Fenaka Corporation Limited, a state-owned utility company which is responsible for most of the southern atolls.
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