Smart metering technologies for mini grids in Africa: An Overview

Mini grids are essential in the effort to achieve universal electrification across the developing world. In Africa, there are currently a number of energy service companies running mini grids across several countries on the continent. This creates a management challenge with many of these mini grids located in rural and hard to reach areas. As such, mini grid operators need to devise ways to monitor and track operations on each mini grid in a cost effective manner. One of the most effective ways of doing this is the use of smart meters. In this paper, we will compare the different smart metering technologies available to mini grid operators and show how each helps a mini grid operator to effectively monitor and manage a mini grid site remotely.