Optimizing hybrid renewable energy microgrids for off-grid and grid-tied environments

www.microgridinnovation.com

The microgrid opportunity around the world continues to grow significantly. One recent report forecasts a

compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% between 2016-2022, reaching $35 billion by 2022. The reasons for this

expected positive development include the falling cost of solar energy, advances in energy storage, the drive to

mitigate climate change, and the cost savings associated with minimizing fossil fuels in remote generation systems.

In addition, microgrids will play a central role in bringing electrification to rural and developing regions in which

access to reliable, clean and affordable energy is a high priority.

The 7th edition of the Microgrid Global Innovation Forum, September 11-13,

2018 in London, focuses on microgrid advances, case studies and applications in

EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. The emphasis is on maximizing the

effective use of renewable and distributed energy resources, refining the positive

business model for a range of microgrid deployments, and sharing real-world

case studies in both grid-tied and off-grid/remote environments.

• Microgrid feasibility, design, and implementation

• Refining the business case for off-grid, remote, and island microgrids

• Solar + storage advances

• Project financing and investor perspectives

• Determining the correct technology mix for hybrid energy systems

• Advanced battery, fuel cell, and flow battery technologies

• Microgrid power control, management, and integration

• Integrating distributed renewable energy resources into the grid

• Effective project evaluation, implementation, and management

• Regulatory and public policy advances

• Standards and interoperability issues

• Market drivers and opportunities worldwide

• And more

Sponsors:

Organized by:

"Great overall view of microgrids, problems, advantages and financing. Real case scenarios and feedback from developers, and pilot projects." -- Pedro Sonne, EFACEC "Great conference, a learning and sharing place for all the actions of microgrids. Practical experiences with real projects." -- Stephane Jamet, ENEDIS (France DSO, an EDF subsidiary)

Agenda Note: Subject to change

Tuesday, 11 September 2018

13:00 - 17:00 Pre-Conference Workshop: Microgrid Economics Analysis and Financing

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

07:30 - 08:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast

BUSINESS MODELS, MARKETS AND FINANCING ISSUES

08:30 - 09:00 Universal Basic Utility Access: Insights and Challenges from a For-Profit Model

Bruno Lopes

Director of Technology

RVE.SOL

Robert Cunningham

Director of Operations

RVE.SOL

Bruno and Robert will speak on the concept of providing universal basic utility access (UBUA) for all through a for-

profit business model as embodied by RVE.SOL. They will discuss the general premise of UBUA and its potential to

radically improve the livelihoods of communities around the globe. Next, they will comment on insights acquired

over 6 years of on-the-ground experience at RVE.SOL's pilot mini-grid (MG) project - operating in the Sidonge

Community of Western Kenya - as a practical example of a business model striving to provide UBUA. In addition,

they will discuss the challenges facing a socially inclusive business model in the emerging energy sector of MGs,

both from a technological and operations perspective. Lastly, they will explore why capital investment has been slow

to mobilize for the sector and suggest ways to close the gap between financiers and MG developers.

09:00 - 09:30 How Can Microgrids Be Profitable in Developing Countries?

Lucie Klarsfeld McGrath

Senior Project Manager

Hystra bio

What are today's financial sustainability benchmarks for clean energy microgrids in developing countries? What

business models hold most promise for the future? Based on an in-depth analysis of 7 of today's most talked-about

microgrid companies, Hystra will share key findings on the sector and recommendations on what is missing to help

it scale.

09:30 - 10:00 From Microgrid To Local Energy Communities

Frédéric Tounquet

Senior Smart Energy Systems

Tractebel - Engie Group

Significant cost reduction of distributed energy resources (DER) combined with new customer's expectations in

energy sharing and peer-to-peer trading have paved the way to a new range of disruptive business models to realise

a more decentralised energy system. In this presentation, the technical & economic feasibility of local energy

communities (LECs) from a double perspective (prosumer perspective and DSO perspective) is investigated.

On the one hand the economic opportunity for prosumers of joining a LEC will be assessed and, on the other hand,

the impact that these LEC may induce to the distribution networks will be evaluated. In this presentation, local

energy communities are still connected to the main grid. However, they might go off the market, possibly inducing

significant revenues losses for existing utilities.

In order to assess this economic impact, several parameters as well as influencing factors must be taken into

account, such as the regulatory framework, the technological assets (including their economical parameters) and the

community design. The prosumers and their assets are forming a LEC at the distribution level, where power, heat

and cold can be co-optimized, both in terms of sizing and dispatching to reach the lowest total expenditure costs

over the studied time horizon. Key takeaways:

• Decarbonising a community can be cheaper than working on an individual basis while creating social bounds

at neighborhood level

• Community members and assets (electric vehicle, decentralised production, demand response) can work

together to achieve greater efficiency at local level

• Regulation - especially distribution network tariff design - can create the right economic conditions for Local

Energy Communities to develop

• While going off grid is now technically feasible, going off market might be the bigger risk for utilities

• Return of experience show that (some) utilities have understood that risk and are developing new skills &

services to accompany rather than fight this trend

10:00 - 10:30 Networking Coffee Break

10:30 - 11:00 Mini-grid Tenders: The GIZ Experience and Developments in Togo

Florian Paffenholz

Technical Advisor

GIZ Togo bio

Stefan Salow

Junior Technical Advisor

GIZ Togo bi

This presentation provides an overview (scope and timeline) of on-going mini-grid tenders being implemented by

GIZ programs in Africa (+6 countries including T, Kenya, Nigeria etc.) The GIZ Togo mini-grid programme approach

will be discussed, including policy support, tender + regulation, technical + subsidy financing support to developers,

and demand stimulation through productive use. We will also look at current experiences and lessons learned from

designing two mini-grid tenders in Uganda (up to 40 mini-grids) implemented by REA with support from GIZ.

Key Take-Aways:

• Government involvement is key for rolling out mini-grid projects (projects ownership, mini-grids

planning/prioritisation/political will, access to a high number of mini-grid sites, sustainable long-term

operation)

• Projects require time (delays are common in countries where government actors are not familiar with

process/approach & technology) and the regulation in countries is still untested (grid interconnection,

termination compensations, tariffs, expansion, operation). This makes it challenging to match donor funding

usually characterised by shorter and stricter timelines e.g. 3 years.

• Technical assistance is still needed. Tender instruments (process, contracts, tender documents, feasibility

studies) and regulatory structures need time and government actors' coordination to develop. Such

processes are safer started as early as possible in projects.

• Interphase with companies during the tender process improves quality of bids and success of projects

(interests of government and private sector can be matched)

• While private sector shows high interest in mini-grids (80 companies in Uganda's tender workshop), the

quality of bids was relatively lower than expected - possibly due to too much work tenders required from

companies, yet only 1 or 2 companies can win the project.

11:00 - 11:30 How Mini-Grid Developers Can Acquire New Investment

Dr. Thomas Hillig

Managing Director

THEnergy Sustainable Consulting

This session will start with a segmentation of different investor types. Each investor type has its own needs and fits

best to different types of mini-grid developers. The presentation will also give recommendations of how to make

certain strategic decisions in order to optimize the positioning toward investors. It addresses comparisons of target

countries, key regulation aspects, site selection regarding pilot projects, scalability, standardization, choice of

technology, and off-take related issues.

• Overview of investor needs

• Segmentation of mini-grid developers

• Segmentation of investor types

• Fit between investor type and mini-grid developer type

• Strategic decisions for optimizing the positioning toward investors

11:30 - 12:00 An Overview of Household Demand And Progression as Stratified by the SE4ALL Multi-Tier

Framework

Jon Thacker, Ph.D

Director of R&D

SparkMeter

Access to clean and reliable electricity transforms people's lives. Understanding how this transformation happens

and how the increasing levels of access can affect people's lives is of great interest to policy makers, developers, and

researchers. One proposed example for tracking access to energy is the SE4ALL multi-tier framework. This framework

stratifies access by several measures, including capacity, availability, reliability and quality of electrical power. In this

presentation we look at how the distribution of households fall into these tiers and how they change over time. We

look at how demand increases over time, giving some notion to the velocity in which households would progress

along the tiers and give insight to developers and policy makers looking to adequately prepare for future consumer

demand.

Key Take-Aways:

• How are households currently distributed in the SE4ALL multi-tier framework

• How do households progress between these tiers and at what time scale

• How do energy providers stack up in the SE4ALL multi-tier framework

• What does customer demand look like in these tiers, day vs night, etc.

12:00 - 13:00 Networking Lunch

GRID-TIED MICROGRIDS: OPPORTUNITIES AND DIRECTIONS FORWARD

13:00 - 13:30 Utility Reforms for Microgrid Value Creation: The UK RIIO and NY REV Models

Larisa Dobriansky

Chief Business & Policy Innovation Officer

General Microgrids

This presentation will discuss how the UK's RIIO (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs) and New York's REV

(Reforming the Energy Vision) Initiatives are shifting/aligning utility business and financial interests with long-term

customer value creation in general and, specifically, how these changes can help to capture the benefits of

microgrids. This talk will compare the salient elements of each initiative, including: Multi-year revenue planning;

equalizing capex and opex; cost-reflective rate design; performance-based outputs. In particular, this presentation

will examine how these reforms support microgrid market development and how these changes might be evolved

further to harness DER value-enhancing investments in microgrid "systems."

13:30 - 14:30 Grid-Tied Microgrids: Enabling Higher Penetration of Renewables

The Monash Microgrid connects 25 retrofitted buildings with 3.5MW of highly flexible peak demand, 11 substations,

1.5MW of solar PV with smart inverters and solar forecasting, electric vehicle charging and the recently installed

large energy storage (1MWh hybrid flow and Li-ion). The microgrid operates as a smart city with each building

treated as an individual customer to ensure replicability to a range of energy markets.

This session will discuss how Monash is using a high penetration of DER, layered intelligence, distributed

optimisation and a next-generation IoT communication system to design and implement a cyber-secure, peer-to-

pool energy market which will maximise cost effective and contestable optimisation for precinct customers,

seamlessly provide electrical stability and resilience to the local embedded network (DSO), and be able to sell

network services to the broader grid. Monash University and its international partners in this project are creating a

living laboratory that will provide solutions to meet the challenges of the energy trilemma.

15:00 - 15:30 Energy 4.0: O&M Tools for Off-Grid Hybrid Systems in the Digital World

Patrick Cousins

CEO

Infinite Fingers GmbH bio

The power sector has the biggest potential for replacing fossil fuels and cutting emissions thanks to renewable

sources of energy. This will require large investments to transition from the currently centralized electricity system to

a decentralized model; also, large-scale solutions will be required for the management and control of millions of

future Hybrid Power Systems (HPS). Moreover, HPS today are not ready for this step: due to the high versatility of

HPS, which typically consist of dozens of different components from different manufacturers , there is currently no

way of remotely controlling and connecting these components (i.e., there is a lack of general system management

solutions).

This presentation discusses a technology strategy for meeting the needs of Europe's future electricity grid: a

Universal Monitoring and Control (UMC) solution for HPS. This consists of a central hardware controller that allows

the interconnectivity of all components in the off-grid system, a cloud server, and a software platform which is used

for monitoring, control and data analytics. In addition, this system enables O&M savings for the HPS operators. This

session will present some use-cases and proof of concept for this technology solution.

15:30 - 17:00 Microgrids for Commercial and Industrial Companies: Delivering Increased Power Reliability,

Lower Energy Costs and Lower Emissions

Chris Marnay

Senior Advisor, China Energy

Group, Energy Technologies

Area, Lawrence Berkeley

National Lab

Louis Shaffer

Distributed Energy Segment

Manager, EMEA

Eaton

François Borghese

Microgrid Marketing Director

Schneider Electric

Doug Staker

Vice President, Global Business

Development

Enel X

An increasing number of commercial and industrial (C&I) companies are implementing low-carbon microgrids. A

microgrid is a set of energy resources that can operate, if needed, independently from the electricity grid. Traditional

microgrids relied on fossil fuels, but now low-carbon microgrids are emerging, which run with predominantly

renewable power. This session will address when, why and how commercial and industrial (C&I) companies can

benefit from low-carbon microgrids.

Reliable, affordable and sustainable power remains a critical need for C&I companies in off-grid areas or areas with

inconsistent supply. Even in areas with reliable grids, C&I companies wish to improve the economics for self-

production, increase their resiliency and lower emissions. To help C&I companies do so, this session will answer key

questions for considering different energy supply options including: when can a company use microgrids? Why

should they install low-carbon microgrids? How should they be financed? What are the wider benefits?

Over the past three years, solar PV microgrids have become competitive with thermal solutions. The levelized cost of

energy of PV microgrids is now significantly lower than that of diesel generators and comparable with that of gas

microturbines. Moreover, the cost of battery packs decreased by more than half, improving the business case for

storage and peak-shaving.

This session will present a sample of the following case studies:

• Longmeadow Park, Johannesburg;

• Establishment Labs, Costa Rica;

• Boston One Campus;

• Essakane Mine, Burkina Faso.

17:15 - 18:15 Networking Drink Reception

Thursday, 13 September 2018

07:30 - 08:30 Continental Breakfast

Track A -- ENABLING TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS

08:30 - 09:00 The First Industrial Organic Flow Battery

Guillaume Chazalet

Business Development Director

Kemwatt

Flow batteries have been around for several decades now and a number of industrial-size systems are in operation

on all continents (and many islands), with more 30 companies in this business worldwide. Most of them are focused

on the vanadium chemistry, some on the hybrid zinc-bromine concept, and a few others are working at different

solutions.

Since 2014, Kemwatt has been developing a technology utilizing organic molecules, based on 10 years of scientific

research. In 2016, it has successfully tested the first industrial-scale (20 kW) prototype in the world and is now

testing a containerized demonstrator in order to prove the technology with industrial partners. Featuring

biodegradable, aqueous alkaline solutions of organic molecules such as quinones, the technology appears to be

quite reliable, as the results of hundreds of tests carried out in the last few years show. The compromise reached

with this arrangement can pave the way for a complete overhaul of energy management in remote areas, as can be

found in isolated sites. If you can store solar or wind energy in batteries that are easy to manage, with simple

maintenance requirements, a very long life, minimal risk (being water-based, the process is fireproof) and no end-of-

life environmental issues, at a lower cost than diesel-based energy generation, the potential to accelerate the current

transition is quite obvious.

09:00 - 09:30 Tackling Africa's Energy Crisis with the Remote Power Unit and Mini-grids

Nicholas Wrigley

CEO, Founder and Co-owner

Winch Energy

Currently, 1.2 billion people are living off-grid without access to electricity, internet or water, spending $27 billion

annually on kerosene, candles and other fossil fuel powered stopgap technologies. More than 95% of those living

without electricity are in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia. Extending the grid to rural

communities, dispersed over large geographical regions, is logistically unattainable and economically unaffordable.

Off-grid living conditions are made easier with in-house Remote Power Unit (RPU) technology as it provides

sustainable, wired access to power off-grid infrastructure. The RPU is an innovative, containerized PV solar system,

which delivers reliable AC supply via a Mini-grid, Wi-Fi access and water pumping to off-grid areas. Batteries

guarantee a reliable power supply on a 24/7 basis, acting as a back-up during night/time and adverse weather.

In Nimjat, Mauritania, a 17kW RPU was installed to provide electricity to the local school, dispensary, mosque, 20

houses and streetlights, Wi-Fi access, a DSTV and water pumping. The Village leadership informed us that for the

first time in 100 years, Nimjat is experiencing substantial migration back to the village.

By providing a modern-day necessity to off-grid communities we can help alleviate poverty, create prosperity and

stop rural to urban migration. Key Takeaways:

• Current situation of the off-grid market in Africa and its potential for the future

• Why extending the grid to rural communities is logistically unattainable and economically unaffordable

• Why mini-grids are the only viable option for electrifying off-grid communities

• Explaining that our data demonstrates people have the means and the will to pay for electricity and Wi-Fi in

Sub-Saharan Africa

09:30 - 10:00 Implementing Mini-Grids in Rural Mali and Niger: Lessons Learned

Jesse Pielke

Head of Operations & Organisation

Africa GreenTec

Implementing and operating mini-grids in Africa is a difficult and complex undertaking. Africa GreenTec has realised

several of their Solartainer®-Projects in rural Mali as well as a first pilot Solartainer® in Niger. Since West Africa saw

the first Solartainer® in September 2017, 7 more projects have entered the scale- and ramp-up phase in Mali. The

Solartainer can be described as a development hub for rural areas. In a first stage, it offers 50 kWp of solar energy to

provide a foundation for development and added services. The Solartainer shell is a CSC-certified 40 ft. ISO

container. It houses all technical components as well as the lithium-ion battery storage system, which can be sized to

local demand, and keeps the power plant mobile. Locally, one Solartainer® is capable of supplying 4.000

Households across 400 access points, businesses as well as local institutions. A special focus is put on the productive

use of the electricity offered, as projects aim to support local economies and provide Tier 3 electricity access. As the

Africa GreenTec Group is involved in all steps, from financing, sourcing, logistics right up to the operation, a wide

range of knowledge and experience across the area of rural electrification through mini-grids has been obtained.

Jesse has a central, coordinating position within the companies structure and will speak on key successes, an

innovative financing model and important learnings Africa GreenTec has made, during their work of electrifying rural

localities in Mali and Niger.

10:00 - 10:30 Networking Coffee Break

10:30 - 12:00 The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Microgrid Optimization

Steve Drouilhet

Founder & CEO

Sustainable Power

Systems

Devashish Paul

CEO

Bluwave-AI, Inc

Cyril Colin

Co Founder & CEO

Elum Energy

This panel will examine the promise and pitfalls of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into microgrid control

systems. Questions to be discussed might include:

• What types of AI are being considered or already used for microgrid control?

• In what scenarios can AI in microgrids perform better than linear programming methods?

• How does what verify the appropriateness of the models developed for the microgrid system? How well do

AI models developed for one microgrid apply to another microgrid, if at all?

• How can AI improve renewable output forecasting?

• How can AI improve load forecasting?

• How can AI help a microgrid fleet operator who runs multiple microgrids (ex a mining company, or

enterprise with multiple manufacturing locations)?

• How should microgrid AI models be trained? In real time? Off-line using historical data?

• Where should the AI computation be done? At the microgrid location? In the cloud?

• What is the interplay between automated microgrid control, human operators, and AI?

• How much performance benefit can be achieved with AI and at what cost?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Track B -- DEPLOYMENT ADVANCES AND STRATEGIES

08:30 - 09:00 Isolated Photovoltaic Hybrid Microgrids with AC loads: Current Case Studies and

Future

Dr. Vicente Salas

Head of the PV System Unit

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Nowadays, there are different possibilities to implement the Isolated PV Microgrids. However, it seems that the

current tendency is towards the Hybrid topology (AC + DC coupling) in the same system. Although, not always it will

be the best solution, as will be seen. This presentation will discuss different real cases in which this topology has

been designed and implemented by means of three-phase bidirectional equipment.

09:00 - 09:30 Putting the SMART in to Smart Microgrids

John Zamick

Founder & CEO

DistGen Group

The transformation of electrical power generation from centralised fossil fuels to distributed renewables is now well

underway. The next challenge is to define, develop and deploy more sophisticated smart microgrid controllers that

take full advantage of the technological possibilities that are on offer. Using the extraordinary capabilities of

computer hardware and modern software approaches that are inexpensive and powerful for processing, storage and

communications, it is now possible to create a smart microgrid controller that is affordable to everyone, reliable

internally and resilient to external failures -- one which is built on open systems and standards, is versatile and

adaptable, and scalable and secure. One of the critical components of such a sophisticated smart microgrid

controller is a distributed policy capability, which is the particular focus of this presentation.

09:30 - 10:00 Short-Term Solar Forecasting for Higher Penetration of Solar Power in Microgrids

Dr. Saad Sayeef

Research Engineer

CSIRO

Solar power output has an intermittent character due to atmospheric effects such as insolation variability resulting

from cloud movements. Variations also occur due to diurnal patterns and physical shading. Accurate solar

forecasting is therefore a highly beneficial information source for the successful integration of large amounts of

intermittent solar generation, especially in stand-alone microgrids. Accurate solar forecasting enables variability to

be managed and enables optimal matching of solar power supply and electrical demand in applications employing

energy storage or load control.

This presentation discusses cloud motion forecasting research performed by CSIRO where a prototype system has

been developed that incorporates algorithms for sun position tracking, cloud identification, classification and edge

detection, cloud movement tracking, distortion correction, motion projection and a simple scheme for predicting

solar irradiance. The discussion also includes the deployment of the prototype system in a remote hybrid solar-diesel

microgrid in Australia for optimal control of the power system to enable a higher penetration of solar power.

10:00 - 10:30 Networking Coffee Break

10:30 - 11:00 Solar-Battery Microgrids vs. Solar Home Systems for Rural Electrification - Benefits +

Drawbacks, Economics, and Opportunities

Arnaud Henin

Managing Director

Renemig Energy bio

A comparison of community solar-battery microgrids with solar home systems (SHSs) from a technical and economic

perspective. The trade-offs between microgrids and SHSs will be explored and key factors that should influence

selection detailed. Emerging opportunities and innovative hybrid models that seek to capture the benefits of both

types of systems will be reviewed.

11:00 - 11:30 Mini-Grid Automation: Translating Local Knowledge Into Scalable Business Practices

Wesley Verne

Chief Technology Officer

SteamaCo

Mini-grid developers have succeeded in markets beyond the reach of traditional utilities, and they have done so

through the following high touch means:

• Close relationships with on-the-ground staff and customers

• Careful, modular deployment of capital

• Detailed knowledge of the value chain from electricity supply to distribution to customer billing

In this session, we demonstrate how utility automation technology can be used to achieve professional, scalable

operations while maintaining these agile, high touch fundamentals. We will work through a few specific examples

from our own operations, as well as those of our customers:

• Tariff discovery through experimentation

• An SMS interface for first-line consumer support

• Automated theft detection

11:30 - 12:00 Innovating for Mini-Grid Electrification: Case Studies and System Advances

Elena Gatcheva

Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

International Power Supply AD

1.1 Billion people around the world are without any access to electricity. For the majority of ?these, providing power

via utility is impossible. For this reason, mini-grid solutions become the most preferred way of servicing these areas

in terms of financial feasibility and environmental friendliness. This presentation discusses technology innovations

and systems for providing expandability and uninterruptable power in rural electrification scenarios where harsh

weather conditions are a significant concern. The emphasis is on user friendliness as well as ease of installation and

maintenance.

The presentation gives more details on the challenges in the areas without access to electricity -- Sub Saharan Africa

in particular -- and how to effectively address these issues. Interesting and challenging case studies for hybrid (off-

grid) power implementations in various areas will be examined, including a college in Nigeria, bus terminals in

Indonesia, a military base in Paraguay, and a safari lodge in South Africa.

12:00 - 13:00 Networking Lunch

MICROGRIDS IN REMOTE, RURAL AND ISLAND ENVIRONMENTS

13:00 - 13:45 MASERA: Microgrid for Affordable and Sustainable Electricity in Remote Areas

Stéphane Jamet

Head - Microgrids

Technical Division,

Enedis

Maria Brucoli

Research Engineer - Smart Energy

Systems

EDF Energy R&D UK Centre

To support socio-economic development in South East Asia, particularly focusing on remote areas, the Nanyang

Technological University (NTU) has launched the Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator - Singapore (REIDS)

initiative, dedicated to microgrid technologies. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and

the National Environment Agency (NEA), it is the largest hybrid microgrid testbed and research platform in the

tropics. Located on Semakau island (8km South of Singapore), the infrastructure provides the 20+ REIDS Industrial

Partners with the opportunity to implement and promote their own technologies (solar, diesel, control systems, etc.)

related to microgrids. Serving the needs of remote areas in the region, the objectives of the initiative revolve around

key success factors such as high penetration of locally produced energy, resiliency and affordability.

The partnership between NTU and EDF, with support from Enedis, aims at developing, testing and demonstrating a

microgrid on Semakau island, based on:

• Renewable energy penetration

• Innovative storage technologies

• Affordable electricity cost allowing meeting market expectations in SEA

• Innovative communication control and optimization technologies

The MASERA (Microgrid for Affordable and Sustainable Electricity in Remote Areas) microgrid will aim at bringing a

better quality of life to these local communities, through access to affordable and reliable electricity, leveraging

innovative technologies, ensuring enhanced reliability and resilience.

Beyond its technical aspects and assets, this microgrid will be an opportunity to implement innovative approaches:

• Combining innovative and rugged solutions in order to control the cost and ensure the reliability and the

resilience

• Enhancing controls to optimize distributed energy resources

• Promoting new loads as services

• Lean approach, re-using EDF Group previous developments and experience

• Design to cost, focused on customer needs

• Improve methods for future developments

Alongside EDF, Enedis and NTU other partners, including the Think Smartgrids association (French association

aiming at developing smart grids sector and promoting solutions in Europe and around the world) collaborate in the

MASERA project. This session will describe the vision, approach, and objectives of both EDF and Enedis, and how

these are realized in the MASERA microgrid.

13:45 - 14:15 Resources for Microgrid Deployment and Lessons from U.S. Department of Defense and

Power Africa Microgrid Projects

Samuel Booth

Senior Project Leader

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

NREL has been supporting deployment of micro-grids and off-grid power systems for over 25 years. This talk will

provide an overview of NREL project support for the deployment of microgrids both domestically and internationally

including work in Alaska, Africa, Asia, and on U.S. Department of Defense installations. The presentation will provide

examples of NREL support and free resources to support microgrid project development such as the Renewable

Energy Optimization web tool and the Quality Assurance Framework for Mini-Grids as well as lessons from NREL

project experience.

14:15 -14:45 Networking Coffee Break

14:45 - 15:15 The Logistical Challenges of Implementing Minigrids in Remote Island Areas and their

Impact on Initial Costs, LCOE, and Financial Viability of Small (<25 kW) Minigrids

Sayan Chakraborti

Program Director, Minigrids and Renewable Energy

MRIGlobal

Minigrids have often been proposed as a solution for providing energy access to remote areas (e.g. islands) where

extension of the grid may be a very expensive proposition. MRIGlobal conducted a feasibility study for the

implementation of minigrids for providing energy access in multiple small remote islands in the Lake Victoria region

of Tanzania. Remote areas often lack proper infrastructure and this leads to several logistical challenges and

increased initial costs for minigrid construction in such areas.

This presentation discusses the impact of such challenges on the LCOE for small (less than 25 kW) minigrid projects

in remote locations using the results from the Lake Victoria islands study as an example. Specifically, session will

present the key findings from the study, including the details of typical logistical challenges that a developer may

face in remote locations, and their corresponding impact on the LCOE. We will share the impacts of these challenges

as estimated through optimization analysis and establish some of the thresholds of project size below which these

challenges have a disproportionately high impact on LCOE.

15:15 - 15:45 Utility Perspective: Experiences from the Solar2Go Microgrid Pilot in India

Ninad Mutatkar

Project Manager, Innovation Accelerator

Fortum

Fortum is a leading power company in the Nordics with growing businesses in the Baltics, Poland, Russia, and India.

Focussed growth in wind and solar, along with creation of new energy ventures are two of Fortum's four strategy

corner-stones. The Innovation Accelerator team aims to create a pipeline of varied internal start-up ventures, one of

which is Solar2Go in India.

Local and distributed energy systems will play a key role in electrifying regions of the world, wherein traditional grid

extension efforts have either failed or have faced challenges. With this in mind,Solar2Go was conceptualised -- a B2B

digital solution to enable scaling up of mini and microgrid installations especially with a focus on India, and piloted

over three sites in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The solution includes the basics of remote monitoring, control, and analytics, and in addition brings in elements of

artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance, dispatch management, and P2P trading between prosumers and

consumers. It helps operate a marketplace for electricity with multiple sources of generation, storages, anchor loads,

consumers, and the central grid, with a goal to ensure the relevance of local energy grids in the evolving energy

system.

The main issues addressed in the presentation include:

1. Learnings from three remote microgrid pilots in India

2. Proposal for grid-interactive microgrid business models

3. Vision of a Local Solar Economy

15:45 - 16:15 Lessons Learned on How to Stimulate Productive Uses of Energy in the Mini-Grid

Sector

Emma Colenbrander

Senior Energy Markets Adviser

Practical Action Consulting

The provision of electricity provides huge opportunities for economic development, but rarely does this happen

organically. Interventions are needed to stimulate new or improved productive activities, which can increase both

electricity demand and livelihood opportunities. This presentation will discuss lessons learnt from Practical Action's

experience in the mini-grid sector across Africa and South Asia, including working with private minigrid companies

as an implementing partner of the Green Mini Grid (GMG) Facility in Kenya.

16:15 - 16:45 Application of "PV + Storage" in the Microgrid and Off-Grid Industry

Adele Zhao

Product Manager of EU Marketing

Trina Sola

This discussion will provide a brief introduction of Trina Solar and discuss PV industry development trends. We will

then explore how to apply the combination of PV and storage in the microgrid and off-grid industry. Finally, we will

share two actual cases for discussion: the Maldives 27 Islands Microgrid Project and the Mauritania Microgrid

Project.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pre-Conference Workshop

Microgrid Economics Analysis and Financing

Tuesday, 11 September 2018; 13:00 - 17:00

Location: Crowne Plaza London - Battersea

The microgrid sector is experiencing high growth rates and rapid evolution as microgrids become an increasingly

cost-effective alternative for integrating renewables, ensuring reliable power and electrifying off-grid sites. However,

both the technical operations and economics of microgrids differ significantly from conventional power plants and

grid-tied renewable plants. Microgrids are typically more complex systems that can offer a broader range of services

and benefits to their energy-users than conventional power options; all of which need to be considered and

evaluated when determining the feasibility of microgrid projects.

In addition, microgrids are capital intensive projects requiring significant upfront investment. The system economics

directly impact the ability and cost of financing which will often determine whether a project is able to go ahead.

Investors and financiers will evaluate projects according to a range of standardised metrics and risk criteria.

This half-day workshop is intended for project owners, developers and investors who are preparing microgrid

projects and need to consider the economic and financial aspects in order to obtain financing or sell projects. It will

also be of interest for participants in other sectors, including equipment suppliers and advisors, who may be asked

to participate in project financing or for whom project economics are relevant.

Workshop Agenda

13:00 - 13:45 Key concepts and microgrid component economics

• Applicable economic and technical terms

• Main components of microgrid systems (generation, distribution, balance of plant)

• System use cases / business cases

13:45 - 14:30 System metrics and factors

• System revenues, operating costs and cashflow

• Capex, pay-back period, IRR

• Renewable penetration, excess energy, diesel consumption / grid power use

14:30 - 15:00 Coffee Break

15:00 - 15:30 Financing: modeling, options, structures

• Debt and equity

• Impact of debt

• Considerations

• Key factors

15:30 - 16:00 Example village electrification case study

• Example economics of 1000 resident African off-grid community

16:00 - 16:30 Current trends in microgrid finance

• How projects are currently being financed

• Key players

• Project outcomes

16:30 - 17:00 Questions and follow-up

Workshop Facilitators

Arnaud Henin is managing director of Gommyr Power Networks, a microgrid and distributed

generation-focused advisory firm, where he leads work on distributed renewable generation, energy

storage, and microgrid projects. Arnaud brings more than 12 years experience in the renewable energy

and finance sectors covering business, economic and technical issues. He is focused on working on

sustainable business models for deploying renewable energy in microgrid and localised power solutions,

and covers Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Niko A. Iliadis is Managing Director at EST Res. Niko brings more than 15 years of experience in

energy systems optimisation and risk management, and more than 10 years of experience in

renewable projects development, EPC and O&M. He has a passion for developing projects, based on a

holistic approach, for the renewable and distributed power systems. Prior to founding the EnerCo

Team of Companies, he worked as energy systems engineer for PSR energy analytics, in Brazil. Earlier

he was a portfolio manager with Engie in France for their hydroelectric assets. At the beginning of his

career he worked with Alpiq, in Switzerland, as analyst and trader on the power market. Niko holds a

Dipl.-Ing in Civil Engineering focused on energy systems from EPFL and MIT, and a Dr.-Ing. on energy systems

optimisation from EPFL. He is a visiting scientific researcher at EPFL and publishes and presents actively in scientific

journals and conferences.

Takehiro Kawahara is Frontier Power Senior Associate at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Takehiro joined New Energy Finance in December 2012. After engaging in research and analysis for

Japan's renewable energy sector, he joined the Frontier Power team in February 2017. The team covers

off-grid and weak-grid energy sector in emerging countries, including microgrids, solar-diesel hybrids,

captive generation, and portable and short-term energy (eg., off-grid solar). He has worked on energy

for telecom tower infrastructure and microgrid controller market within the team. Prior to Bloomberg

New Energy Finance, Takehiro completed a Master's degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science at

Lund University in Sweden, and worked in Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Supporting Organizations

Sponsors

IPS (International Power Supply) was established in 1989 and specializes in the R&D and

precision manufacturing of power electronics and energy conversion technologies. Over the

past three decades, IPS has delivered world leading products and currently has a portfolio of

33 different product lines including hybrid and off-grid power systems, rectifiers, inverters,

frequency converters, turnkey outdoor power systems. Visit www.ips-group.net

Crowdcredit provides debt capital to peer to peer lending platforms, balance sheet

lenders, microfinance institutions, leasing/factoring originators or infrastructure,

renewable, Development Project on a global basis through its crowdfunding platform in Japan.

Visit https://crowdcredit.jp/global/

Murata is a global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of advanced electronic

materials, leading edge electronic components, and multi-functional, high-density

modules. Murata innovations can be found in a wide range of applications from mobile

phones to home appliances, and automotive applications to energy management systems and healthcare devices.

Visit www.murata.com

Founded in 1997, Trina Solar Co.,Ltd, one of the earliest solar companies listed on the

NYSE, is the leading total solution provider for solar energy around the world. By the end

of 2017, Trina Solar had delivered more than 32 GW of solar modules worldwide,

contributing to more than 10% of global market share, which makes Trina the world's largest solar module supplier.

It is estimated that Trina could have helped reduce approximately 32 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each

year. Equipped with a strong capacity of R&D, Trina Solar has developed and launched a full range of solar solutions,

including smart modules, smart systems, energy storage and smart O&M. In its downstream business, Trina Solar

provides project development, financing, design, construction, O&M, as well as one-stop system integration

solutions for customers. Visit www.trinasolar.com

SD Wind Energy is a global market leader in small scale wind turbines and hybrid energy systems.

We manufacture, install and service wind turbines across the globe and are supported with a fully

approved network of renewable energy professionals. With over 5,000 installations in over 70

countries and on every continent, we have the expertise to deliver your small scale renewable

energy needs world-wide. The SD Wind Energy product range covers a wide array of applications and is world

renowned for its unique downwind design, superior build quality and ability to operate in all wind speeds without

the need to shut-down. Visit www.sd-windenergy.com

Sample Attendee Feedback

"We were extremely impressed with the range of critical topics that were

discussed at the event. A truly informative, engaging and memorable

conference. We are looking forward to the next one!"

-- Rick Sander, CEO, Rhombus Energy Solutions, Inc.

"Excellent event to get knowledge about the latest innovations, share

ideas and experiences, as well as the opportunity to generate new

partnerships. Best part was contacting with so many different areas of business and geographies."

-- Hugo Silva, Business Development and Project Manager, Enercoutim

"All the presentations were interesting and very useful. I learned alot about microgrid projects by

networking with other actors with experience in the field."

-- Loucoi A. Gabin, CEA-INES

"The confeence was great and very informative for me. It was great to see speakers from government

and military, as well as speakers working on the modeling software and real projects in rurual and

remote areas. The technical information was great too."

-- Samina Ali, Solar Energy Consultant, Boreal Renewable Energy Development

"The breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise was really impressive."

-- Paul Cullum, Product Development Manager, HSB Engineering Insurance

"Very good, well organized and informative. I liked the diversity of presentations - academic,

economic, technical and commercial."

-- Dr. Mohammad Sedighy, Principal Consultant and Associate, Hatch Electro-Technologies

Event Venue:

Crowne Plaza London

– Battersea

Bridges Wharf, Battersea, London

Past Attendees Include: • 3Angle Capital

• Aalborg University

• ABB

• Acciona Energía

• Adaptive Balancing Power

• Akuo Energy

• Alliance for Rural Electrification

• Altairnano

• Ameren

• Anbaric Power LLC

• APESF

• Aquion Energy

• Arelis Group

• Associação de Energias Renováveis

• BC Institute of Technology Centre

• Benoolend

• Black & Veatch

• Boeing Research & Technology Europe

• Boreal Renewable Energy Development

• BU Africa

• Burns & McDonnell

• Canadian Solar

• Catalonia Institute for Energy Research

(IREC)

• CENER

• CERTS Microgrid Project

• CEZ Distribuce, Corp.

• Circular Energy

• Colorado State University

• ComRent International

• CPG Advisors

• CSEM SA

• Customized Energy Solutions

• cyberGRID GmbH

• DEG - German Investment Corporation

• Deutsche Investitions- und

Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH

• Distributed Generation Ltd

• Distributed Sun LLC

• DNV GL

• Duke Energy

• Dynamic Energy Group

• Dynapower Company LLC

• E.ON UK

• EDA RENOVAVEIS

• Edison International

• EDP

• EDP DISTRIBUIÇÃO

• Efacec Power Solutions

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

• Emerson Network Power

• Eneco B.V.

• EnerCo

• Enercon GmbH

• Enercoutim

• Energy Storage Report

• EnergyIN

• EnerNex

• Engie

• Enphase Energy

• Ensol Tanzania Ltd

• ERDF

• EREN RENEWABLE ENERGY

• ETAP

• EURELECTRIC

• Fluidic Energy

• Fluktuat

• Freie Universität Berlin

• Fronius España S.L.U.

• Fronius International GmbH

• Frost & Sullivan

• FuelCell Energy

• GDF Suez

• GE Power & Water

• General Microgrids

• Gildemeister Energy Storage

• Gommyr Power Networks

• Grupo Impresa

• Hatch Electro-Technologies

• Honeywell

• HSB Engineering Insurance

• Idaho Power Company

• Industrie Canada

• Ingeteam Power Technology, S.A.

• Innhotep Think Tank for Innovation in

Energy & Cleantech

• INTRACOM DEFENSE ELECTRONICS

• IPERC

• IREC

• janom s.r.o.

• K2J Environmental

• Keystone Steel & Wire

• Korea Polytechnic University

• Landis + Gyr

• Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

• Leclanché SA

• Leidos

• Lockheed Martin

• Lux Research

• Marsh Creek LLC

• Martifer Solar

• MC Consulting

• MinesParisTech

• Mitsui & Co. Ltd.

• MotuSolar

• Narada Power Source Europe

• Navigant Research

• NEDO

• Nemotec

• NextEra Energy

• Northern Power Systems

• NovaTech LLC

• Olidata spa

• Omron

• OPAL-RT Technologies

• Oxford University

• Pareto Energy

• Peerless Lighting

• Power Analytics

• Princeton Power Systems

• QiDO Energy Development

• Qinous GmbH

• R.E.S. Ltd.

• Redflow Europe GmbH

• RELUMO

• REpower Systems Inc.

• ResoTek, Inc.

• Rhombus Energy Solutions

• Robert Bosch España, S.L.U

• RVE.SOL

• S&C Electric

• Sail Capital Partners

• San Diego Gas & Electric

• Sandia National Lab

• Saudi Aramco

• Saviva Research LLC

• Schneider Electric

• SCLE SFE

• sg++

• Shaldor

• Shimizu Corporation

• Siemens AG

• SMA Ibérica Tecnología Solar, S.L.U.

• Smart Com d.o.o.

• Smart Hydro Power

• SOFRECO

• Southern California Edison

• Spanish National Center on Hydrogen

• Spirae, Inc.

• Sunco Energy SL

• SunEdison

• Support2develop

• Susi Partners

• Sustainable Power Systems

• TECNALIA

• The Boeing Company

• The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection

and Inusrance Company

• Tractebel

• Trama TecnoAmbiental

• Trojan Battery Company

• U.C. San Diego

• U.S. Department of Commerce

• UniEnergy Technologies

• Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

• University College London, Electronic

and Electrical Engineering

• University of Alberta

• University of Califoria, Irvine

• University of California, Los Angeles

• University of Texas, El Paso

• University of the Basque Country

UPV/EHU

• Varentec

• Vattenfall AB, R&D

• Vestas

• Vieira de Almeida

• Viridity Energy

• Wells Fargo Bank

• Win Inertia

• Winch Energy

• World Bank

• Wuhan Huayuan Fukang Electric

• World Business Council for Sustainable

Development

About the Organizer

The Smart Grid Observer is a weekly e-newsletter serving the global smart energy

industry. SGO delivers the latest news and information concerning key technology

developments, deployment updates, standards work, business issues, and market trends driving the smart grid

industry worldwide. SGO organizes Forums each year in the areas of clean energy, grid modernization, smart cities,

microgrids, cyber security, water-energy nexus and more. For full information and a free subscription, visit

www.smartgridobserver.com

Registration

Register securely online at: http://www.microgridinnovation.com/EMEA/register.htm

Sponsorship

For inquiries regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities at the Forum, please contact Daniel Coran,

Program Manager, at info@microgridinnovation.com or +1-815-310-3343

Vendors, Consultants, Servies Providers

Main conference only (Sept 12-13) £795.00

Workshop only (Sept 11) £249.00

Conference plus workshop (Sept 11-13) £1,044.00

Government, Academic, Non-profit Organizations

Main conference only (Sept 12-13) £695.00

Workshop only (Sept 11) £195.00

Conference plus workshop (Sept 11-13) £890.00