Major players in the power industry will convene in Nairobi this November to synergize the commercial potential of Mini Grids in Africa

Singapore, 27 August 2014 – The Africa Mini Grids Summit 2014 will convene in Nairobi, Kenya from 18th to 19th November 2014. This timely and authoritative summit provides a high-level strategic platform for all industries plagued by electricity shortages to explore and deploy mini-grids to meet the chronic electricity shortfalls in the African continent.

The sub-Saharan Africa region presents lucrative opportunity in mini grids development, with a forecasted rise in off-grid population from 600 million to 698 million people in 2030. IEA estimates that in order to achieve universal electricity access, mini grids will have to provide more than 40% of the new capacity needed by 2030 with the market potential for mini-grids to be US$4 billion per year.

There is a pressing need for successful ground level implementation of renewable and hybrid mini grids in the region. Many governments in the region are actively promoting mini-grids & public-private cooperation strategy. Industries such as mining, agriculture, heavy industries, tourism and other commercial entities have shown an unprecedented interest with projects being implemented to cut operating costs and improve efficiency.

The summit will be attended by key government officials together with leading investors, financiers, independent power producers and technology providers. The summit will also feature a distinguished panel of speakers drawn from: Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, United Kingdom, Belgium, Ethiopia, France, Tunisia, Rwanda etc.

The speakers panel include: University of Southampton, Rural Electrification Authority Zambia, Rural Energy Agency Tanzania, Kenya Power & Lighting Company, Rural Electrification Agency Uganda, Fundo de Energia (FUNAE) Mozambique, East African Power Ltd, GVEP International, African Solar Designs Ltd, Strathmore University, Kenya Commercial Bank, Alliance for Rural Electrification, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ethiopia, Electricity & Gas Company of Tunisia (STEG), Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Power Company Ltd and Jacobs.

Africa Mini Grids Summit 2014 will also include an exclusive site visit and presentation to a live solar project at The Strathmore University.

Professor Izael Pereira da Silva, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Strathmore University, an authority and expert on the subject of mini grids said "I am looking forward to this important summit on mini grids and share with delegates the finer points on technical, economic and sustainability considerations on implementing hybrid mini-grids. I am also excited to host the Summit participants at our Strathmore Energy Research Centre at Strathmore University on Day 2 of the Summit. We have a 600 kW grid connected system and also a 10kW diesel/solar hybrid system which was set up as a training tool for engineers. Besides my general presentation above, I will explain how the system is designed to produce more than the required self-consumption such that the extra power can be sold to the utility via a PPA (power purchase agreement) and the revenue used to pay for the electricity used by the university at night plus other interesting details that will be shared during the site visit."

Recognising the opportunities in the region Mr Geoffrey Musonda, Chief Executive Officer, Rural Electrification Authority Zambia commented "This is a very timely and authoritative event to address the issues on implementing mini grids to address the prevalent difficulties in accessing power and electricity shortfalls in this region . I am certainly looking forward to share the landscape in Zambia, our latest projects, ground issues and opportunities available."

The conference is organised by Singapore-based Magenta Global and supported by African Network for Solar Energy (ANSOLE), Tanzania Renewable Energy Association (TAREA), The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) and African Sustainable Energy Association (AFSEA).

The conference will be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.