Ongoing Research Activities
MicroEnergy Product Service Systems
PhD project by Noara Kebir, Candidate of the Postgraduate Research Program Microenergy Systems more to: MicroEnergy Product Service Systems
Bottom-Up Swarm Electrification with Renewable Energies in the Global South
PhD project by Hannes Kirchhoff, Candidate of second phase of the Postgraduate Program more to: Bottom-Up Swarm Electrification with Renewable Energies in the Global South
Direct Current – The Enduring Path towards Critical Mass
Florian Weiß: The global South has a special interest in the advantages offered by DC-based infrastructure. Systems with lower specs (e.g. lower loads and power levels) are especially prone to conversion losses, that inevitably occur in AC based networks. This opportunity to increase system efficiency benefits from the fact that many crucial elements of electricity infrastructure suitable for the global south as solar panels and batteries inherently have DC-inputs and -outputs, being served best with DC grids. more to: Direct Current – The Enduring Path towards Critical Mass
Distributed Generation Landscape in Pakistan: Challenges and Possible Solutions
Naila Saleh, Paul Upham: Decentralized renewable energy configurations supported by technological breakthroughs has unleashed myriad benefits for developing countries— not only offering ‘irresistible’ alternative to end-users frustrated with unreliable supply of energy but also an optimal opportunity for the relevant public authorities to reduce the losses in the energy sector as well as decades of terrible impacts of climate change. more to: Distributed Generation Landscape in Pakistan: Challenges and Possible Solutions
This research develops a novel, integrated approach for rural development in sub-Saharan Africa through paving ways for sustainable energy uptake. The study examines top-down approaches as they affect the progression of off-grid energy uptake in Ugandan rural communities. Drawing from the literature on foreign involvement in the African energy industry, and the growth in energy financing in general, the study analyses the delivery models employed in disseminating energy programs and the degree to which this has translated into the uptake of off-grid solar technologies. The study further investigates how well these approaches engage the rural communities, the different participation mechanisms, and the level of end-user understanding of energy purchases and services. more to: Examining the Level of Public Participation in the Development of East Africas's Off-grid Energy Sector
Nikolas Schöne: Electricity is seen as sine qua non for any economic, cultural and social development, or human development as a collective term. Strategies and blueprints of countries facing forced action to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030 – as stated by number 7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7) – propose deployment of minigrids, which, inter alia, convince by their high quality of supply and potential compatibility with the national grid in future. more to: Hydrogen Minigrids
Swarm Economy - Developing a Network Economy within a Bottom-Up Renewable Electricity Infrastructure
Raluca Dumitrescu, Sebastian Groh: Universal access to sustainable, reliable and affordable energy is necessary to achieve inclusive socioeconomic development and climate friendly economic development. Swarm electrification proposes a paradigm shift within the spectrum of bottom-up electrification approaches, as it manages to take into account the crucial third agent, in whose name development is carried out:.... more to: Swarm Economy - Developing a Network Economy within a Bottom-Up Renewable Electricity Infrastructure
The Organization of Rural Electrification
Georg Heinemann, Christian von Hirschhausen: Innovative financing and delivery models in combination with decentralised energy systems have significantly improved the electrification of rural regions in recent years. In Bangladesh, more than four million Solar Home Systems (SHS) have been installed with the help of a top-down government-financing programme (“the IDCOL-approach”). more to: The Organization of Rural Electrification
Transforming the Backup Generator Electrification Paradigm in Nigeria
The research project focuses on designing bottom-up electrification pathways for marginalised communities in Nigeria for a sustainable energy transition. It attempts to evaluate the causality in the high proliferation of fossil-based backup generators, the effect of the unreliable grid on both households and MSMEs and introduces an interdisciplinary dimension to the creation of local energy markets through swarm grids and peer to peer networks. more to: Transforming the Backup Generator Electrification Paradigm in Nigeria