Analysis of Electricity Power Generation and Load Profiles in Solar PV Microgrids in Rural Villages of East Africa: Case of Mpale Village in Tanzania

Most of the rural villages in East Africa are not connected to the national electric grids as they are very remote. Currently, Renewable Energy Sources (RES) - based distributed microgrids are deployed to offer a supply of electric energy in some remote villages in the region. These microgrids provide a cost-effective solution for electricity access in rural and remote villages and communities. Analysis of electric power generation and load profiles is important for microgrid management in terms of both technical and financial sustain ability. This paper analyses the electric power generation and consumption (load profiles) of the Mpale microgrid which is owned by Ensol (T) Limited, in Tanga region, Tanzania. This study analyses the electric power generation and consumption data which has been collected from the year 2018 to 2022. Using statistical packages in Python programming language, this paper plots different load profiles and electric power generation trends. This study discovered that there are massive load peaks in the evening and more electricity consumption on the weekends. This information is important for microgrid developers and operators, especially when comparing the load profiles and electric power generation and optimizing the power system design. Using this information can help in developing a suitable Demand-Side Management (DSM) approach for microgrids in East Africa to avoid microgrid overloading.