Load Data Acquisition in Rural East Africa for the Layout of Microgrids and Demand–Side–Management Measures

With its growing population and industrialization, DREs, and solar technologies in particular, provide a sustainable means of bridging the current energy deficit in Africa, increasing supply reliability and meeting future demand. Data acquisition and data management systems allow real time monitoring and control of energy systems as well as performance analysis. However commercial data acquisition systems often have cost implications that are prohibitive for small PV systems and installations in developing countries. In this paper, a multi-user, multi-purpose microgrid database system is designed and implemented. MAVOWATT 270 power quality analyzers by GOSSEN METRAWATT, raspberry pi modules and sensors are used for measuring, recording and storing electrical and meteorological data in East Africa. Socio-economic data is also stored in the database. The designed system employs open source software and hardware solutions which are best suited to developing regions like East Africa due to the lower cost implications. The expected results promise a comprehensive database covering different electro-technical and socio-economic parameters useful for optimal design of microgrid systems.