Technical, Economic and Environmental Performance of Solar Minigrids: Case of Remba Island Minigrid

Kenyan government set a goal to attain universal electricity access by 2022 to achieve economic and productive sector ambitions outlined in Vision 2030. This paper proposed to determine the performance of solar PV mini grids by investigating the technical, economic, and environmental parameters that indicate sustainability based on an actual mini grid. Solar energy resource information was gathered using equipment specific remote monitoring portal and mini grid operator documents. Technical parameters were investigated while economic tools were deployed to evaluate the performance of the project. Technical evaluation deduced that the mini grid had a performance ratio (PR) of 60.46% and capacity factor (CF)of 12.55%. Economic analysis showed that the mini grid had a high Internal Rate of Return to guarantee a payback period not erceeding 7 years factoring in minimal operation ampersand maintenance. Environmental impacts analysis of the mini grid demonstrated the benefits in avoided GHG emissions. The study concladed that solar mini grids could maintain economically reasonable performance within 20 years lifespan