Philipp Blechinger

Reiner Lemoine Institut · Off-grid Systems

Providing sustainable, affordable, and reliable electricity through low-carbon energy development in the Nigerian energy sector is fundamental to ensuring energy security. Currently, efforts to harness the potential of renewable energy, to provide universal electricity access for all have not translated into significant economic development in Nige...

Demand-side mitigation strategies have been gaining momentum in climate change mitigation research. Still, the impact of different approaches in passenger transport, one of the largest energy demand sectors, remains unclear. We couple a transport simulation model to an energy system optimisation model, both highly disintegrated in order to compare...

and renewable electricity contributing a small portion of their growing demand. In this study, an optimization approach is utilized to analyze different policy-driven pathways for Indonesia’s long-term electricity planning by formulating different scenarios based on current policy discussions and changes in the power sector. Through an optimization...

Transforming the energy system towards renewable energies and the electrification of the transport and heating sectors is necessary. A substantial part of this transformation occurs in the low-voltage grids. The increasing number of photovoltaic systems, electric vehicles and heat pumps poses new challenges for low-voltage grids. The load on lines...

We present a household and enterprise energy survey dataset collected within the framework of the PeopleSuN project in Nigeria in 2021. Across three Nigerian geopolitical zones, a total of 3,599 households and 1,122 small and medium-sized enterprises were surveyed. The sample is designed to be representative of rural and peri-urban grid-electrified...

This study uses a multi-stakeholder analysis approach to consolidate low-carbon energy planning and facilitate energy transition (ET). To do this, we assess factors that influence ET strategies in the Nigerian power sector. Here we employ both quantitative and qualitative data obtained via well-structured, and concise questionnaires and semi-struct...

The integrated approach to managing the fundamental resources for human life, namely, water, energy, food, and the environment as their irreplaceable foundation, presents a profound opportunity for sustainable development. However, despite their huge potential, integrated water, energy, food, and environment systems (iWEFEs) are rarely put into pra...

Improving access to energy services among the underserved requires understanding the status quo in energy access and estimating future energy requirements of energy service provision. In this paper, we present a novel survey dataset collected in 2021 within the framework of the PeopleSuN project. Across three Nigerian geopolitical zones, a total of...

While the effect of energy on conflict is well-studied, scholars have rarely investigated the impacts of conflict on electricity (setups) and healthcare. Prolonged violence has exacerbated Yemen's energy crisis — a dynamic which has also affected healthcare facilities. We construct and analyse a dataset of healthcare facilities, including their pow...

Mini-grids are discussed as a cost-effective and sustainable solution to provide electricity to populations lacking access, of which the majority reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Projects struggle to be fiscally solvent, however, in part because electricity demand from rural households is low relative to installed mini-grid generation and distribution...

Computer-based models provide decision-makers with techno-economic insights into transition pathways for decarbonising energy systems. Such models mainly focus on techno-economic aspects and do not adequately represent the social aspects of the energy transition, although there is broad consensus that these non-technical factors are important drive...

To reach climate targets, future energy systems must rely heavily on variable renewable energy sources (VRES) such as wind and photovoltaic (PV). As the share of VRES increases, the topics of flexibility and the smart interplay of different flexibility options grow in importance. One way to analyse flexibility options and enhance the design of futu...

Accelerating the rate of renewable energy deployment in Small Island Developing States is critical to reduce dependence on expensive fossil fuel imports and meet emissions reductions goals. Though many islands have now introduced policy measures to encourage RE development, the existing literature focuses on qualitative recommendations and has not...

Pacific Islands are best positioned to quickly transition to zero-carbon energy and transportation systems, according to a new report published by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). This report highlights the economic, social and environmental benefits that a transition towards EV-based mobility based on domestic renewable energy sourc...

Electrification with micro-grids is receiving increasing attention to electrify rural areas in developing countries. However, determining the best local supply solution is a complex problem that requires considering different generation technologies (i.e. solar PV, wind or diesel) and different system configurations (off-grid or on-grid). Most exis...

Philippine off-grid islands are mostly electrified by diesel generators, resulting in costly electricity that is interrupted by fuel supply disruptions. The archipelagic nature of the country also impedes off-grid electrification due to the high capital cost of grid extension. Transitioning from diesel-only systems to hybrid renewable energy system...

Southeast Asia is one of the regions most affected by impacts of climate change underlying the urgency to build resilience especially for remote and isolated island communities. Moreover, these islands face the problem of expensive and unreliable electricity supply. The large number of island communities further magnifies the difficulty of reaching...

Enabling access to energy is crucial for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). A particular challenge for countries in Southeast Asia is to develop sustainable energy systems on their far-flung islands to increase energy security and improve living conditions. Here, renewable energy microgrids combined with other emerging energy techn...

The fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands is being affected by population growth, intensive tourism, the exploitation of local resources and the high consumption of imported fossil fuels. This unsustainable development model makes the provision of services such as electricity a challenge. This research investigates the hybrid renewable mini-gr...

Small islands developing states (SIDS) contribute minuscule proportions to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption, but are highly exposed to climate change impacts, in particular to extreme weather events and sea-level rise. However, there is little research on potential decarbonization trajectories unique to SIDS. Here, we ar...

Electrification efforts have long been a centralized, politicized and bureaucratic process heavily dependent on central grid extension. However, grid connection may not guarantee reliable supply and even grid-connected households can remain in lower tiers of electrification. By promoting the integration of solar home systems (SHS) in electrificatio...

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Nigeria is the African country with the highest total number of people without access to electricity, at least 90 million. To provide sustainable and affordable energy to these people is an enormous challenge. Advanced modeling and planning are essential tools to enhance the quality of investment decisions. Planning has to address the latest electr...

The overall objective of this project is to support “Strategies for Renewable Energy for Climate Protection in Developing Countries”, for which the GIZ has nominated a consortium of Reiner Lemoine Institut and the greenwerk. Thus, the specific objective of this study is to assess the climate change mitigation relevance of the dynamically developing...

Solving the hydra-headed economic, technical and institutional electrification challenges in the Nigeria Power sector requires innovative insights that decentralized offgrid reverse auction with solar power plus storage proffers. However, running a successful auction requires a meticulous design with in-depth understanding of the environment and ac...

Solving the hydra-headed economic, technical and institutional electrification challenges in the Nigeria Power sector requires innovative insights that decentralized offgrid reverse auction with solar power plus storage offers. However, running a successful auction requires a meticulous design with in-depth understanding of the environment and data...

Solar home systems are seen as a quick and effective way to relieve people from energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. A new study shows that such systems can be more than an interim solution towards achieving SDG7 as they become cheaper than grid electricity while providing the same or better levels of reliability.

Access to energy remains a challenge in many regions of Africa. In Zambia, only approximately 28% of the total population of 17 million has access to electricity, with even lower access rates of 5% in rural areas. One of the first challenges in providing these regions with reliable electricity is identifying the location of small settlements that s...

The transformation towards a sustainable, affordable and reliable energy system remains a challenging task for many island communities. The electric power supply through Hybrid Mini-Grids (HMG), containing RE technologies and energy storage systems in the mix, represent a cost-effective and fuel saving option. In the planning phase of HMG, software...

The achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is heavily influenced by access to data: Data is necessary to assess the current status quo as well as to measure progress and to find opportune contextualized solutions for development challenges. Specifically, the lack of energy access (as defined in SDG7) is an immense bo...

The 'European Consensus on Development' outlines the European Union's shared vision and general framework for action in development cooperation. It aligns European foreign assistance with the United Nation's 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is to be implemented in close coordination with other international commitments such...

Some 630 million people representing two-thirds of all Africans have no access to electricity, which is identified as a key barrier towards further development. Three main electrification options are considered within our work: grid extensions, mini-grids and solar home systems (SHS). A methodology is applied to all sub-Saharan African countries to...

Globally, due to industrialization, GHG emissions continue to increase. This is despite the existing scientific and political consensus to fight human-induced climate change. To reverse this trend, viable, cost-effective decarbonization pathways are needed. We focus on the European power supply system and demonstrate the techno-economic feasibility...

Climate change forces humankind to strong reduction measures for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Following this scientific consensus the European Union obliged it's member states to achieve high reduction targets to almost zero emissions – especially in the power generation sector – until 2050. Evidence-based strategies to implement cost-effective...

New control and storage technologies allow operation of isolated microgrids at high quality levels Decreasing costs of RE and storage technologies increase competitiveness of hybrid microgrid compared to fossil fuels High potential for the implementation of hybrid microgrids is given But many different configurations and storage systems are possibl...

Globally, small islands below 100,000 inhabitants represent a large number of diesel based mini-grids. With volatile fossil fuel costs which are most likely to increase in the long-run and competitive renewable energy technologies the introduction of such sustainable power generation system seems a viable and environmental friendly option. Neverthe...

Electrification of rural areas is one of the major challenges in countries of the Global South. A proper electrification planning requires comprehensive electrification modelling to understand the least-cost supply options. Within this paper we apply a literature review on the requirements of comprehensive electrification modelling. This is extende...

Caribbean islands are known for their abundance of natural resources that can be used for sustainable energy. This includes both high solar irradiation levels for photovoltaic (PV) power generation, as well as high and constant wind speeds for the operation of wind turbines. In addition, many mountainous and volcanic islands allow the operation of...

Reliable access to electricity still remains a challenge in many regions of Nigeria. For achieving a rapid electricity access for large geographic regions alternative electrification pathways apart from grid connection need to be taken into account. Therefore, sophisticated planning tools to determine techno-economic optimized electrification pathw...

Isolated diesel systems are the main electricity generation method in many rural areas nowadays and represent a viable option to supply un-electrified villages in the Global South. However, this generation scheme leads to a dependency on fossil fuels and their price volatility on a global market with a projected increase of costs in the future. At...

Many people in African countries lack access to sufficient electricity supply due to missing infrastructure of the centralized conventional power generation system. In order to provide electricity to a wider part of the population, it is necessary to exploit the vast renewable resources in African countries. Therefore, this paper scrutinizes the ec...

99 % of the electricity supply on Caribbean islands is currently provided by fossil fuel based power plants which is very expensive and polluting. The use of renewable energy technologies can be a cost-effective and sustainable solution to these problems. Implementing renewable energies has been rather slow despite sufficient natural resources. Thi...

Despite large amounts of readily available renewable energy, most island states in the Caribbean are still heavily dependent on mostly imported fossil fuels for their energy production. Making use of empirical analyses, this paper explores the barriers to the development of RE for power generation in the Caribbean, and outlines a strategy of how to...

More than 2,000 small islands (1,000 to 100,000 inhabitants) globally exist. These islands cover a huge potential for the implementation of renewable energies and storage systems. Their power generation is mainly based on expensive diesel power plants. In combination with abundant renewable resources, hybrid renewable energy systems become competit...

In rural areas of Tanzania electricity is mainly produced by diesel plants. To reduce generation costs the introduction of photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage is a viable option. For an implementation strategy, diesel plants are localized with a geospatial analysis and the potential for hybridization with PV and battery systems is investigated by...

Renewable based hybrid mini-grids have been proven to be a sustainable and cost-effective solution to electrify remote regions. Many case studies have been conducted globally for rural electrification and small islands. Even though single islands are understood quite well the big picture of the global island land-scape is missing. To target the exi...

In Tanzania off-grid electricity is mainly supplied by diesel generators. This causes harmful air pollution and leads to high power generation cost. Contrary to that renewable energies can provide affordable and environmentally sound power. This paper indicates that a potential of at least 22 MW is available for upgrading isolated diesel grids to h...

This paper summarizes findings on how socio-economic and natural factors influence the introduction of renewable energies to island electricity grids. A statistical regression model is used determining drivers and barriers of successful technology specific renewable energy implementation to islands. Eight financial, market, policy and natural facto...

Background Islands often depend on the import of fossil fuels for power generation. Due to the combined effect of high oil prices and transportation costs, energy supply systems based on renewable energies are already able to compete successfully with fossil fuel systems for a number of these islands. Depending on local and regional conditions, not...

Mini-grids with high shares of renewable energies usually require energy storage systems based on technological and economic reasons. According to natural conditions battery storage is often the only applicable storage technology and thus hybrid mini-grids can be considered as very attractive niche market in substitution of diesel mini-grids. Unfor...

Diesel generators contribute to a large share of power generation in developing countries like Peru, the Philippines and Tanzania. This leads to high costs for electricity and causes harmful air pollution. In contrast to that renewable energies can provide affordable and environmentally sound power. This paper indicates that a potential of at least...

Today's energy supply on eastern Caribbean islands is mostly based on diesel and oil fired power plants. This leads to relatively high electricity cost, CO2 emissions and dependence on fuel imports. Good natural weather conditions and a large geothermal energy potential on several islands enable electricity supply by renewable energy sources (RES)....

Photovoltaic (PV) will play a major role in the global Energiewende. Especially on Caribbean islands it is the most promising power generation technology based on high solar radiation, easy scaling and expensive conventional diesel power generation. Even though PV is economically competitive on almost all Caribbean islands, it has only been signifi...

In a climate change constraint world, it is of utmost relevance that energy technologies offer a low level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at a comparatively low cost level. We give an overview which clearly documents that the common view on PV systems clearly deprives the PV technology that status. However, only less research is available and mo...

Very high solar radiation combined with very high conventional power generation costs favor the implementation of photovoltaic on Caribbean islands. To assure the revenues of potential investors and therefore to support the implementation a clear regulatory framework has to be created. Within this work a proper net-billing scheme is developed. Its...

Small islands without grid connection as natural mini-grids are perfect examples for the shift of conventional power generation systems towards renewable energies. Within this work the energy supply system of the Caribbean island Petite Martinique (150 kW peak load, 820 MWh per year) is technological and economic optimized using diesel gensets, pho...