Ampere Hour Energy has developed a plug and play mini-grid solution called 'Grid-lock' that seamlessly synchronizes various energy generating sources such as solar, wind, diesel generator, biomass and batteries to electrify rural villages which are far from the mainland electric grid. 'Grid-lock' is one the first sophisticated products, engineered specifically for rural electrification. It comprises of 3 main components, Batteries (Li-ion or Lead acid), Intelligent Power conversion System (i-PCS) and a mini-grid controls platform which continuously optimizes the functioning of the mini-grid. We strongly believe the solution is ideal for electrifying remote areas which house over a Billion people across asia and Africa who still lack access to electricity. Since much of the energy is generated through renewable sources like solar, wind or biomass, we help villagers transition from conventional forms of energy generation such as wood or charcoal to clean energy.
On-ground project implementation
We have implemented a pilot solution in a Rural village in Bihar, India. The mini-grid comprised of 30 kWp of solar, 12 kW of Biomass, 25 kVA DG, 60 kWh of battery capacity.
Impact
Grid-lock has helped provide reliable clean energy to 500 households (roughly 2000 inhabitants) of the village. This has completely transformed the life of the villagers for the better. They are now able to be more productive thereby enhancing the quality of life. In addition, a water treatment plant is also run using the power from the Grid-lock which provides clean drinking water to the villagers.
Grid-lock vs Conventional Mini-grids
We surveyed over 30 rural mini-grids in India to find that a lot of them were defunct due to either bad installation practices in rural setting or no maintenance. This was the key motive behind designing a dedicated, well engineered product for rural electrification which does not require the installer or operator to have a lot of knowledge of electrical engineering. Conventional mini-grids would require multiple equipment such as MPPTs, DCDBs, Rectifiers etc. all hardwired on a DC-Bus. This resulted in both a higher capex and lower efficiency of the mini-grid. 'Grid-lock' on the other hand reduces a number of unnecessary components through the use of AHE's intelligent power conversion system (i-PCS), thereby reducing both the capex and increasing the efficiency of a mini-grid. 'Grid-lock' comes in built with a controls platform that allows both remote monitoring and controls of the mini-grid while simultaneously leveraging data to optimize the performance of the mini-grid. The smart algorithms have resulted in the mini-grid being powered through clean energy (Solar and Biomass) for almost 90% of the time while only the remaining 10% is fulfilled through a diesel generator, thereby reducing the operating cost of the plant.
'Grid-lock'
A scalable, innovative solution for power remote communities across the globe
Based on a successful on-ground pilot implementation, we believe that our solution is ideal for powering the poorest communities across the globe. The team comprises of individuals with over 1 GW of solar installation experience and bring the most cutting edge technology to products that we create. We are driven by our vision of 'building a fossil free, decentralised grid of the future'.
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