How will a solar mini-grids project help Afghanistan?

An innovative solar mini-grids project will lay the foundations for Afghanistan’s mini-grids market, with the aim of helping the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while tackling rural energy poverty and supporting a green recovery amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Does Afghanistan have a mini-grid market?

The mini-grid market is currently almost non-existent in Afghanistan. The country’s power sector policies and regulations are not in place to guide the development and operations of mini-grids by the private sector. This means necessary investments cannot take place, and scaling up access to clean energy cannot happen.

Can solar power be used in rural areas in Afghanistan?

The findings of this study demonstrate that combining solar, biomass, and battery systems is more reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable than adopting diesel generator systems for the electrification of rural areas in Afghanistan.

Does Afghanistan have a rural energy poverty problem?

Afghanistan’s rural energy poverty challenge In Afghanistan, decades of instability and war have led to widespread poverty and massive under-investment in infrastructure, including in energy.

Why is rural Afghanistan underdeveloped?

Rural areas of Afghanistan which remains socio-economically underdeveloped in terms of education, incidence of poverty, and access to infrastructure. Lack of access to modern forms of energy has serious health implications on rural Afghani’s and predominantly affects women and children.

Can mini-grids bridge the energy access gap?

As renewables equipment becomes cheaper and disruptive digital technologies more accessible, mini-grids have garnered a lot of interest from public and private actors as a solution to bridge the energy access gap in areas where expanding the national grid would be too costly or challenging. Afghanistan’s rural energy poverty challenge