Linkedin-in X-twitter

Project Technology

The inter-disciplinary collaborative project between European and African research institutions and private sector proposes a solution to create, maintain, and scale affordable, reliable, modern, and sustainable access to clean energy that leaves no one behind and meets the energy, and water and food productivity needs of all users in communities in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) SSA. The solution is a bottom-up modular and dynamic infrastructure called SWARM electrification (SWARM-E) that deploys a circular renewable energy system called a SWARM grid in which households and businesses with solar home systems (SHS) are interconnected with those without via a low-voltage distribution grid. The infrastructure, developed and already implemented by partners SOL and MEI in Bangladesh, will be adapted for the SSA context for the first time, enabling affordable local energy ownership via peer-to-peer renewable electricity sharing. SWARM grids can be interconnected to scale reliable energy access and then interconnected to local decentralized renewable energy infrastructure (i.e., mini grid, solar containers) where it exists to further reduce the redundancy of infrastructure.

MEI and SOL successfully implemented the SWARM grid in Bangladesh, reducing the off-grid population to 7%. International partners like WUP, VITO, BWB, and RES4 have the expertise to adapt and demonstrate the SWARM-E approach in SSA, proving it to be adaptable, modular, interoperable, and economically viable.

Step 1

Step 1 of the SWARM-E project involves installing and operating five new SWARM grids, four in Rwanda and one in Tanzania. These countries were selected for their favorable energy, climate, political, and social landscapes. Field tests in SSA showed households consumed 50-60Wh/day, while panels could generate up to 200Wh/day during solar peaks.

Step 2

Step 2 of the SWARM-E project focuses on interconnecting decentralized energy infrastructures. In Tanzania, this involves linking to a local solar mini-grid, while in Rwanda, the OffGridBox solution will provide clean water, solar pumping, and power for PUE appliances. The goal is to demonstrate the feasibility and integrated approach of the infrastructure, strengthening the WEF nexus and gaining community acceptance.

Step 3

Step 3 of the SWARM-E project will create an enabling ecosystem: SWARM grid+ will integrate PUEs, training, and business models to meet local energy and productivity needs. Local partners in Rwanda (OGB and INKO) and Tanzania (EKO and ELI) will utilize their expertise in entrepreneurship and technical innovations. Rwanda will interconnect the SWARM grid with water purification, welding, carpentry, and biodigester technologies, while Tanzania will interconnect charging stations for e-mobility, water purification, cold storage, and milling technologies.

Step 4

Finally, step 4 of the SWARM-E project will showcase innovation by demonstrating the SWARM grid+ transition to clean cooking fuel using a hydrogen-LPG blend in Rwanda. Unlike other methods, SWARM grids use surplus renewable electricity from SHS to produce hydrogen, blending it with LPG for cooking. This approach makes hydrogen-based fuels cost-competitive with standard LPG, utilizing existing fuel value chains.

In Tanzania, the SWARM grid+ will introduce an e-mobility solution: a pit stop charging station for light electric vehicles (two- and three-wheelers). This station will provide affordable food and cold storage transportation, and act as a bi-directional charger, feeding unused renewable energy back into the grid to create a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). E-mobility is rapidly growing in SSA, with LEVs expected to make up 45-57% of vehicles by 2024.

The infrastructure of the SWARM grids optimizes the benefits for the community in that they are:

  • Affordable: SWARM grids grant renewable and uninterrupted energy access with a simple, one-time purchase of the SWARM controller.
  • Income generating: SWARM grids transform an existing energy system into one which allows electricity trading among users
  • Inclusive: SWARM grids are inclusive of all types of energy generation sources and storage assets.
  • Digitalized: SWARM grids digitalize the entire energy community thanks to remote operation, management and maintenance by the SWARM software.
  • Scalable: SWARM grids can readily grow to satisfy increase in demand simply by extending more cables and adding more SWARM controllers to connect more users.
  • Secure: SWARM grid nodes (households, businesses) can get disconnected from the grid (cable failure, controller malfunction) and still continue to produce and utilize electricity – the one it generates through the SHS.
  • Reliable: SWARM grids have a built-in remote monitoring which allows the system’s energy exchange to be supervised from a far distance.