Lessons in Sierra Leone and Uganda for scaling up mini-grids

The mini-grid can grow smoothly with increases in energy consumption, unlike conventional solutions which struggle to adapt to changes in energy use and connectivity. The result is a better use of capital – directly leading to lower costs for end users and more resilient, reliable and flexible power generation than the traditional centralised architecture that has stumbled for decades.

“As the world’s first distributed mini-grid, it is another significant milestone in ZOLA’s mission to solve Energy Access and Energy Equality in emerging markets – while also protecting the environment, supporting economic development and sustaining the livelihoods of those in need,” added Lenihan.

Ashish Kumar, Climate & Innovation Lead at Shell Foundation, said: “Although the technology is continuing to mature, the emerging data from the initial phased rollout has shown huge potential for it to be rolled out more widely across emerging markets.”