Finally its Possible: The Grid Code is here . . .

On the 9th December 2010, the CEB has launched its project known as SSDG standing for Small Scale Distributed Generation based on the Grid Code.  It will buy electricity generated from Renewable Sources by Residential customers or other categories.   The project is limited to 200 installations or 2MW capacity, where 1MW is reserved for Residential producers.  The feed in Tariff for the first fifteen years is as shown below per kWh:

               Table A    Table B
Micro      Rs 25      Rs 21.25
Mini        Rs 20      Rs  17.00
Small       Rs  15     Rs  12.75


The project deserves a much better coverage than it was given on that day by the MBC TV station.  What is missing or considered as the next moves by the government are:

• incentives and financing mechanisms, 
• removal of taxes and customs duties on the equipments required.

Open letter to Joël de Rosnay, ti-MID concerns

Having come across your interview on the newspapers regarding the concerns you expressed on the “ti-MID” advances of the MID project, allow me to suggest a method for the financing of residential PV systems. In Mauritius every year there are some around 3,800 new cars which are purchased, of which part are not Customs Duty exempted, requiring the new owners to pay Rs 500,000 or more depending on the model of the cars just in duty. These owners could be granted an exemption on duty for the installation of a PV system on the roof top of their houses with minimum peak capacity production of 5Kw. The government does not have to find additional sources of finance as incentives scheme for the project.

For example someone buying a C180 Mercedes costing Rs 2.2 million would be paying at least Rs 800,000 in Customs Duty, amount which the latter could have invested into a residential PV system which in turn would be generating monthly revenue.

The incentives for the individual are:

• doing a green action and saving the environment,

• Generating monthly additional revenue by selling the electricity to the grid.

The incentives for the Government are:

• not having to find sources of funding for financing the MID project where which the individual already has the potential for funding the project,

• Lessening the dependence on burning of fossil fuels for producing electricity and foreign currency spent for the import of the fuel re-allocated to paying the SIPP electricity production.

• Achieving the goal of 35% of electricity from renewable sources with the help of the Mauritian citizens’ participation.

The Carrot in Front of the Donkey

We are already in mid-November and 2 things should have happened in the renewable energy sector by the end of October but nothing as usual.

1. The project on Removal of Barriers to Renewable Energy in Mauritius should have been completed and made public.
2. Any individual in Mauritius should have been able to go to the CEB and sign his SIPP agreement with the latter.

Its as if a carrot is tied to a long stick by a string and dangled in front of a donkey which is pulling a cart.  The donkey here is the Mauritian population and the cart driver are our politicians.

35% from Renewable Sources by 2025 . . .

In the news bulletin of the 27 September 2010, the Minister of Energy was stating that by 2025, 35% of electricity should be generated from green sources.  Out of this 35% how much would be allocated to SIPP for production by PV (PhotoVoltaic) from residential producers?  The government is clearly favouring renewable sources from Wind energy

1. Plaines des Roches (Aerowatt),
2. Curepipe Point (Tender in progress),
3. Britannia (Omnicane).

35% is also the maximum theoretical amount of electricity that can be fed to the grid at any given moment without impacting its stability.  If all 35% comes from Wind energy where does PV production slots in?

The role of the C.E.B

During the last week end of the 2010 Football Worldcup final, the local TV showed that Mauritians could soon sell there excess power generated through renewable sources to the CEB (the national power company) with the coming Grid Code. It was also concluding the one year test it had been conducted.

What we would expect from the CEB now, is that it produces a list of authorised MANUFACTURERS and not SUPPLIERS for the grid-tie inverters and solar panels. As the CEB is the entity which owns the grid it will ensure that the power produced is compliant to its norms and safety regulations. Thus preventing cheap stuff from getting into the market which will not be able to perform upto the requirements or could be dangerous.

REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MAURITIUS

I could not have better phrased it myself, REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MAURITIUS, its a project initiated by the UN (project number 00072174) and what I was looking for in my post The TURNING MAURITIUS GREEN INITIATIVE. Objective is to significantly accelerate the development of on-grid (grid-tie) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems by removing institutional barriers, including thorough technology transfer and developing sustainable delivery models and financing mechanisms. The UN is currently looking for the following
1) International Consultant: Environmental Economist
2) International Technology Transfer Expert
3) Lead Expert for the Preparation of the Project Document
4) National Project Coordinator and Technical Expert on Photovoltaic Technology
by the 9th April 2010. Project is expected to be completed by October 2010

Pilot Project for residential SIPPs

On last Wednesday (10 Feb 2010) on our local TV station MBC1 in a local programme called 'Dossier' the following was said by an official of Maurice Ile Durable on the Grid-code.

A pilot project to purchase 2MW of electricity generated through renewable sources like PV, micro-hydro and micro-Wind turnines from households, would soon be launched. As usual there were no commitment on dates and tarrifs. The Maurice Ile Durable web site seems also to be under construction since last year or rather since its went online. It seems that this year another web site has been created. Lets hope we can see our suggestions posted on it.

The official also mentioned that they were expecting production capacities of 3 KW per household which would imply some 600 households would participate.

My apprehension with the Grid code is that there is no information readily available on any official web site. The tariffs have not been made public, why are things moving so slowly? By moving at this pace Mauritians will loose interest in the project.

Where are the Feed-In Tariffs for the Grid Code announced in Budget 2010?

Its the end of January and still no prices for the power to be sold to the utility company (CEB) as per what was announced in the Budget 2010 in November 2009. On the 13th of this month there was only a workshop on Grid Code and Feed-in Tariffs for Small Independent Power Producers (SIPP). A few local newspapers relayed the information with no real coverage except for this article from L'Express. The only figures given were that of the price at which the IPP were selling to the CEB (10~20 cents higher than it would cost the CEB to produce itself), and the price from which power should be purchased from households ranging between Rs(6.00 ~ 20.00).

Mauritians are waiting for the practical offers, incentives, subsidies and for the day they can spin back their meters to generate a revenue from their household. Where are the deliverables from the Consultants of Ea Energy Analyses? Or are we going to adopt a wait and see approach?

The TURNING MAURITIUS GREEN Initiative

The TURNING MAURITIUS GREEN Initiative is to encourage and support the Mauritian Government to implement the “Grid code” it has worked on, which will allow Mauritians to sell the surplus electricity that have been generated through renewable sources to the CEB. Arguments for:

1. To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Fuel prices which are condemned to rise due to the drying up of sources and scarcity.
2. To combat climate change and reduce green house effect gas emissions. When was the last time we were hit by a cyclone with winds over 200Km/h? How was this winter 2009 temperature, did you notice it was not as cold as it should have been.
3. To preserve our planet for future generations.
4. Sun energy is free; we are geographically well situated at 20 degrees latitude south to harvest this energy.
5. No reinvention of the wheel required as the technologies involved (Photovoltaic modules, Grid-tie Inverters, etc . . .) are already being used in countries like Germany, France, and Spain . . . The same applies to norms and safety regulations. In these countries households generate revenue by selling their surplus electricity to the utility company.
6. The utility companies, (CEB in Mauritius) do not have to invest in a separate network to purchase the electricity generated by individuals, it’s the same network or grid (electric cable) that is used to feed in the electricity generated through renewable sources using a grid-tie inverter.
7. As incentives the government has only to implement its Grid Code, remove all custom duties and taxes on the equipment to be used to generate electricity, provide special loans through commercial banks at preferential rates (1~2%) for funding the individual projects and guarantee purchase of electricity at retail price over a period of 20 years.
8. Let individuals participate in the democratisation of power generation by using the roof tops of their household to install solar panels and thus not sacrifice the agricultural lands where which plants naturally convert carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosynthesis.

Time is no longer for words, but for actions . . .

Copenhagen Outcome

No legally binding actions or objectives. As usual a lot of good intentions from everyone . . . What Mauritius proposed was 25% reduction in green house gases by 2020 without any aid or 65% reduction with aid by 2025.

May be the solution would have been to force countries which are geographically well situated to build CSP to generate electricity from the sun instead of burning fossil fuels. By CSP it would mean plants which would have thermal storage for night production and assisted by fossil fuels only when required.

Copenhagen, what can we expect?

What will be Mauritius participation in implementing the treaty that will be finalized? It can only help in promoting the grid code faster where the country will be forced to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. The question is by how much, or will it be exempted due to its small size or threat due to the rising sea level? Will the country find funds to finance the incentives for the grid code?

Budget 2010 promises

Item 214 of Budget 2010 Speech says:

A study has been completed on the development of a National Grid Code to enable CEB to purchase electricity from Small Independent Power Producers (SIPPs) that adhere to the policy of promoting clean, renewable and local energy sources. At the beginning of January next year, the Ministry of Public Utilities will announce the prices at which SIPPs with less than 50 KW capacity will sell to the CEB.

Show Cases, Installation Sizing and Costs

On the 29 October 2009 the local TV station in its News Bulletin showcased two PV installations

1. In the CEB premises in Rose Hill, 4 arrays of PV panels of a total capacity of 2KW, installer was Infra Solar. The system was in operation since the last 7 months and produced monthly an average of 200KW/h (or 200 units per CEB billing) of electricity. The utility company stated it was an example of a residential PV system, but the grid-tie inverter was not shown and no price was given.
2. In a private company IFS at Ebenes, a system with a capacity of 22KW, and using 4 SunnyBoy grid-tie inverters, installer was Blychem. The system costs was Rs 7Million which brings the price per Watt to Rs 318.18.

Electricity generation through PV is expensive but not as much as people would think and provided the installers or importers are not making easy money with their high profit margins. There are many people who think that by going to China or India and picking up a cheap inverter they would be able to get into the business of renewable energy without realising that the inverter should be approved and certified by the local utility company.

What will make people invest in a PV system is the ability to generate a revenue by selling the surplus electricity at a guaranteed Feed-In Tariff over a number of years. The amount of electricity generated should offset the personal consumption. Taking the example of an household with a monthly consumtpion of 300 units in other words 300 KW/h, the PV panels should be sized at least 5KW which will produce 500KW/h monthly and remaining capacity of 200KW/h will be paid back by the utility company. The monthly paid back should be sufficient for reimbursing any loan taken for the purchase of the system

Tilt Angle, abuse by Importers

Just a few words on the Tilt angle of Solar panels whether it is PV panels or solar water collectors its the same angle.


The above is a picture of a good Solar Water Heater with recent technology, but with incorrect tilt angle for Mauritius which is found 20 degrees latitude South. The evacuated tubes are tilted at a 45 degrees angle and should have been at an angle of 20 degrees instead. Implying that the solar water heater is not receiving the optimum amount of sunlight and lower water temperatures in the winter season. These solar water heaters are from China, its not that I am complaining on the quality of these products, but the following facts are;

1. The specificity of the Mauritian market has not been taken into consideration by the Chinese manufacturers which should have tilted there collectors at 20 degrees.
2. The importers of these products do not understand what they are selling, they are just interested in making profit. It seems that the cost price and import costs for a solar water heater of 310 litres amounts to around Rs 13,000 and same has been sold for an average of Rs 35,000 on the Mauritian market!!! There are no duty or any sorts of import taxes on these products.

Wish that the above abuses are not reproduced with Photovoltaic panels and Grid-tie inverters as it will kill the renewable industry in Mauritius and discourage the government initiatives. The next exercise of grants by the Mauritian Government for Solar Water heaters should force the importers to meet certain requirements like:

1. Minimum capacity of 200 litres
2. Correct tilt angle of 20 degrees for Mauritius

Good Tilt angle but using old technology still in Mauritius



Good Tilt angle with even older technology still in Mauritius

HOW TO

Basically the following components would be required:

1. PV (PotoVoltaic) panels to turn the sun energy to DC electricity
2. Grid-Tie Inverter to turn the DC electricity to AC electricity (240V 50Hz in Mauritius)

By wiring the PV panels to the grid-tie inverter and the grid-tie inverter to the Grid you are done, you are already feeding electricity to your utility company. Seems simple but you better be wise by knowing whats really happening and the workings of the grid-tie inverter. On the Utility side there is nothing to be done except for the meters which will allow it to pay back your electricity production.

An analogy to what is happening, is water running back in your mechanical water meter and decrementing the counter, except for here in case of malfunction there can only be water spillage which is not as harmful as with electricity there may be risks of electrocution, fire, injury and death.

The GRID-TIE Inverter

There are quite a few features which are mandatory in such a type of Inverter and are required to be compliant with the "Grid Code". The Grid-Tie inverter will synchronise itself to the grid electricity frequency and produce a current with a slightly higher voltage to push back the power to the grid.

1. Electricity generated should only be pure Sine Wave and never modified one.
2. Anti-Islanding: Only when electricity is present in the Grid that it will produce its output. In other words when there is a blackout in the Grid it will shut off automatically, this is a very important feature which prevents Utility personnel from getting electrocuted during maintenance.
3. Protection against: Overload, Short-Circuit, Lightning (using appropriate surge arrestors)

Depending on its design the inverter can require a battery bank or be battery-less, an important aspect to be taken into consideration as batteries are not that cheap and will also need a charge controller.

The PV PhotoVoltaic Panels

There are 3 types of PV panels available on the market with different efficiencies and price ranges. The efficiency is the amount of sunlight energy a panel can transform into electrical energy. On a surface area of 1 square metre there is around 1000W of sunlight energy reaching the earth surface, of course figure is for a clear sunny day at noon.

1. Monocrsytalline panels, efficiency 15~30%, most expensive,
2. PolyCrystalline or MultiCrystalline panels, efficiency 13~20%, having a speckle reflective appearance, and less expensive than MonoCrystalline panels.
3. Amorphous panels or thin film panels are the least efficient and least expensive. Compared to the above 2 types they are flexible.

PV panels are connected in arrays, which can be in parallel or series or even a combination of both, to obtain the desired voltage for operating the grid-tie inverters or charge controllers. The total output in terms of power will be the sum of the individual panels output.

Why go GREEN?

1. Reduce climate-change effects, its a bit too late to prevent now. . .
2. Reduce Individuals Carbon foot print
3. Alternative to high fossil energy prices since crude oil reserves are also depleting
4. Preserve our nature for future generations
5. 2900 hours of annual sunlight equivalent to an average 7.95 hours daily. (Sunshine is free . . .)
6. Produce and sell energy at the individual level to the community, example electricity to the grid. (using your rooftop)

What is the "Grid Code"?

The Grid Code shall define the rights, responsibilities and conduct of various parties having access to the power system. It shall establish standard procedures and technical specifications for interconnection, planning, scheduling, dispatch of generating units and a set of technical regulations and performance specifications governing the development, operation, security and reliability of the power system to be complied with by all users (including existing and future distributed generation sources) for the ultimate benefit of all electricity customers. The Grid Code shall also specify the connection conditions namely, the technical power quality (viz flicker, harmonics, voltage regulation, ...), protection, metering, procedural, and safety standards for integrating the diverse distributed renewable generation technologies involved by a changing generation mix (diesel, coal-bagasse, hydro, proposed coal, wind, and other renewable sources) on the power system.

The above is from the terms of reference for the appointment of a consultant for the development of the "Grid Code" dated August 2008. The "Grid Code" exists in other countries (like Germany, France, Spain, US etc . . .) under different names.

Incentives by the Mauritian Government for Renewable Energies

The Mauritian Government has already started giving incentives to individuals and companies to turn to renewable energies

1. Setting up of the Maurice Ile Durable (MID) Fund in July 2008 for the transformation of Mauritius into a sustainable energy economy.
2. Grants of Rs 10,000 for purchase of a new Solar Water Heater since 2008 budget for near-eliminating the use of electric and LPG water heaters.
3. As from July 2009 the excise duties, road tax and registration fees for electric cars and hybrid vehicles have been half.
4. Finally the "Grid Code" which has not yet been implemented nor been published but has been developed as per the draft of Long-Term Energy Strategy 2009 -2025 dated September 2009. However it seems that the government is withholding implementation, waiting for PV panel prices to fall by 2011 as per comments on the local newspapers. The feed-in tariffs and net-metering will only be introduced by 2010 as per its action plan.

Information on the Utility company

The only utility company in Mauritius is the CEB (Central Electricity Board) and supplies electricity to the domestic or residential market at 240 Volts with a frequency of 50Hz. The peak power supplied on its grid in 2008 was 378MW. However the CEB only produces 36.8% and the remaining 63.2% is from the Independent Power Producers (IPPs). 22% of the electricity already comes from the following renewable sources hydro(4%) and sugar cane bagasse(18%). When bagasse from the sugar cane is not available during none harvest periods coal is burnt instead by the IPPs.