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Environmental Hotspot Assessment for a PV Mini-Grid Design: A Case Study for Malawi

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  • Jacquetta Lee

    (Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK)

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Goal 7, access to affordable and clean energy, is unlikely to be achieved, with an estimated 600 million people still without access to electricity by 2030. One potential route to support this goal is through the use of mini-grids to provide electricity in densely populated rural areas for which grid connection is not possible. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment of a mini-grid, designed for construction in Malawi. It analyses the cradle to end of use for this mini-grid configuration, for a grid sized for lighting, refrigeration and phone charging, and for a grid sized for electric cooking (e-cooking). The results suggest that for lighting configuration, the main contributors to environmental impact are the poles, the overhead cabling, and the PV panels. The use of a chromium-based preservative is the main issue for the poles, and a switch to concrete poles can deliver significant benefits. When the grid is sized for e-cooking, the PV panels become the greatest contributor. Adding a diesel generator to the mini-grid configuration can reduce number of panels required and hence the environmental impact, but only if the generator is used for no more than 2 h per day.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacquetta Lee, 2021. "Environmental Hotspot Assessment for a PV Mini-Grid Design: A Case Study for Malawi," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:14:p:4227-:d:593621
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aberilla, Jhud Mikhail & Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro & Stamford, Laurence & Azapagic, Adisa, 2020. "Design and environmental sustainability assessment of small-scale off-grid energy systems for remote rural communities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    2. Smith, Cameron & Burrows, John & Scheier, Eric & Young, Amberli & Smith, Jessica & Young, Tiffany & Gheewala, Shabbir H., 2015. "Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of a Thai Island's diesel/PV/wind hybrid microgrid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 85-100.
    3. Matthew Leach & Chris Mullen & Jacquetta Lee & Bartosz Soltowski & Neal Wade & Stuart Galloway & William Coley & Shafiqa Keddar & Nigel Scott & Simon Batchelor, 2021. "Modelling the Costs and Benefits of Modern Energy Cooking Services—Methods and Case Studies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-28, June.
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