Host: Janathakshan
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka Date: January 26th to January 29th, 2016 Funding: WISIONS SEPS and selected delegates |
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Synopsis:
Grid interconnection of micro and mini hydropower (MHP) has emerged as an important topic in south and southeast Asia, driven by several factors: (1) MHP facility owners’ need for long-term certainty in cases where the national grid is expanding into areas where isolated MHP mini-grids operate; (2) net metering, feed-in tariffs (FiT’s) and other policies and regulatory frameworks that support grid interconnected renewable energy; (3) MHP’s ability to provide inexpensive renewable energy 24-hours a day, and the grid’s ability to absorb this electricity even at times of day (or night) when local loads are low; and (4) country targets for increased domestic renewable energy production, lower carbon footprints, and increased electricity access.
While these drivers have been in place for some years, expertise for grid-interconnected MHP is sparsely utilized. In too many cases, once the main grid arrives MHP projects become underutilized or abandoned. However, interconnecting the MHP to the main grid can strengthen the main grid and allow the micro hydro community or developer to continue to financially sustain project. The MHP project can also serve as a backup for when the main grid does not function.
Despite MHP practitioners expressing strong interest for grid interconnection, its development is at nascent stages, with wide variability in the region. India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have grid interconnected MHP with some success, while developers in Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines have strong interest but no interconnected projects. Optimal grid interconnection policy requires productive collaboration among developers, government agencies, and utilities companies.
To address this gap between practitioners and policies, HPNET member Janathakshan hosted an exchange connecting developers, government, and utilities actors from the above-listed countries, to facilitate a regional understanding and strategy for grid interconnectivity, based on current policies and field realities. The event included thematic sessions, field visits, and strategy-building for participating contexts.
Event Materials:
Grid interconnection of micro and mini hydropower (MHP) has emerged as an important topic in south and southeast Asia, driven by several factors: (1) MHP facility owners’ need for long-term certainty in cases where the national grid is expanding into areas where isolated MHP mini-grids operate; (2) net metering, feed-in tariffs (FiT’s) and other policies and regulatory frameworks that support grid interconnected renewable energy; (3) MHP’s ability to provide inexpensive renewable energy 24-hours a day, and the grid’s ability to absorb this electricity even at times of day (or night) when local loads are low; and (4) country targets for increased domestic renewable energy production, lower carbon footprints, and increased electricity access.
While these drivers have been in place for some years, expertise for grid-interconnected MHP is sparsely utilized. In too many cases, once the main grid arrives MHP projects become underutilized or abandoned. However, interconnecting the MHP to the main grid can strengthen the main grid and allow the micro hydro community or developer to continue to financially sustain project. The MHP project can also serve as a backup for when the main grid does not function.
Despite MHP practitioners expressing strong interest for grid interconnection, its development is at nascent stages, with wide variability in the region. India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have grid interconnected MHP with some success, while developers in Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines have strong interest but no interconnected projects. Optimal grid interconnection policy requires productive collaboration among developers, government agencies, and utilities companies.
To address this gap between practitioners and policies, HPNET member Janathakshan hosted an exchange connecting developers, government, and utilities actors from the above-listed countries, to facilitate a regional understanding and strategy for grid interconnectivity, based on current policies and field realities. The event included thematic sessions, field visits, and strategy-building for participating contexts.
Event Materials: