Grid connection
Practical Action
Renewable options are becoming more popular due to climate change concerns and the
availability of carbon financing.
A cost/benefit analysis of the alternatives (grid/diesel/renewable) will be required to decide which
option is appropriate for each location, to include economic analysis, fuel availability, ownership
and management of the scheme and operation and maintenance issues.
Develop markets for off-grid energy services in Brazil
Aggressive market development efforts for decentralized off-grid solutions will be needed to
achieve Brazil’s universal access targets at a reasonable cost. Off- grid electricity includes
electricity for village mini- grids (powered by hydro-, solar, wind, diesel-battery, or hybrid
solutions) and standalone systems (AC or DC power from pico-hydro, wind, diesel and/or PV
generators for multifunctional productivity platforms, home systems, or battery charging
stations), as well as non-electrical energy solutions for domestic, public, and productive uses
(such as process heat, cooling chain, efficient cooking). The potential for off- grid solutions
in Brazil is huge, but largely untapped. Existing isolated diesel systems are often inefficient,
unreliable, expensive to run, and a continuous drain on government funds. Grid extension is
not an economically viable option for many remote and dispersed users (for example, users in
Amazonia). Costs per household can easily rise beyond US$2,000 (see table 1) —while many
rural households use far less than 50kWh per month even after connection. For such
dispersed settings, off-grid solutions can provide more flexible energy services, fitting the
varying demand patterns of rural users and uses.
Table 1: Costs of New Grid Connections in Bahia, Brazil
Bahia
Grid extension costs per consumer in US$
(broken down by distance form existing grid in km)
Utility poles per
0-1
>1-5
>5-10
>10-20 >20-50
>50
consumer
=0.5
105 145 202
>0.5 - 1
322 324 357 373
>1.1 - 2
632 642 646 711
>2.1 - 4
1179
1184
1208
1325
>4
4166
4343
4763
6530
6818
28219
Sources: Brazil: Background Study for a National Rural Electrification Strategy: Aiming for Universal
Access March 2005.
Areas of application
Uses
Electricity is an extremely versatile, clean and user friendly form of energy. There is an almost
limitless range of applications for electricity. Electrical motors provide shaft power that can be
used for a multitude of industrial and agricultural activities, as well as for transport. Batteries
allow electricity to be stored for periods when it will be required. In a rural context, electricity
has many uses. They include some of the following:
4