COMS

In comparison to village electrification with solar home systems a central PV-Hybrid System reduces the specific electricity cost and enables us to provide a grid equivalent service to the users. This cost reduction is achieved by the aggregation of the expensive system components - the photovoltaic generator, the batteries, and the power converters - which are mutualised.

It is this grid equivalent service which is a crucial condition for starting up economic activities in rural regions, which improve wealth and reduce emigration. This is why PV hybrid systems and Mini-grids are an important tool to achieve the millennium development goals.

However, hybrid systems and minigrids are more complex, and there are many exciting topics to be addressed in this conference to find cost efficient solutions for reliable systems