Experience with PV-diesel hybrid village power systems in Southern Morocco

Abstract

In October 2002, under the auspices of Spanish Cooperation, a pilot electrification project put into operation two centralised PV-diesel hybrid systems in two different Moroccan villages. These systems currently provide a full-time energy service and supply electricity to more than a hundred of families, six community buildings, street lighting and one running water system. The appearance of the electricity service is very similar to an urban one: one phase AC supply (230 V/50 Hz) distributed up to each dwelling using a low-voltage mini-grid, which has been designed to be fully compatible with a future arrival of the utility grid. The management of this electricity service is based on a 'fee-for-service' scheme agreed between a local NGO, partner of the project, and electricity associations created in each village, which are in charge of, among other tasks, recording the daily energy production of systems and the monthly energy consumption of each house. This register of data allows a systematic evaluation of both the system performance and the energy consumption of users. Now, after 4 years of operation, this paper presents the experience of this pilot electrification project and draws lessons that can be useful for designing, managing and sizing this type of small village PV-hybrid system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.