Microgrids – Powering communities

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 1.3b people (IEA, 2012b) in the world lack access to electricity.

This is often because the size or distance of the community from the national grid renders an extension economically unviable, or due to challenging geography.

Or, that simply, traditional means of generating electricity is too costly.

This has a devastating effect on the development of the community.

Reliable energy is a pre-requisite for economic activity. Without it, people are often forced to migrate to urban areas where reliable energy facilitates economic activity.

Despite its name, there is no real size definition of a micro-grid. Essentially, micro-grids are scaled-down electricity grids that can operate in isolation to the ‘macro-grid’ and they are characterised by diverse and distributed sources of power and storage, creating a resilient, reliable, self-sufficient, localised system.

Micro-grids deliver electricity to communities that would otherwise be without.

Since its first system deliveries in 2007, DLRE has been pioneering the development of intelligent, renewable energy-based micro-grids in Asia. As one of our core competencies, we have built up significant experience over the full project life-cycle, from financing, planning, design, implementation and operation.

DLRE has delivered multiple micro-grid projects in the Maldives and in Vietnam. We also have a single show-case micro-grid operating in Pulau Ubin, Singapore for which the company has a license to operate and sell electricity for a decade.