Decentralised microgrids are proving critical to accelerating electrification, easing energy constraints and improving resilience across South Africa, highlights South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) renewable energy manager Dr Karen Surridge.

Microgrids are increasingly being positioned as a core component of the solution to the country’s energy access challenges, particularly in remote, underserved and fast-growing areas where conventional infrastructure struggles to keep pace. Surridge stresses that decentralised systems are not only expedient but also a necessary complement to broader electrification efforts.

“What one would want to see now is that, over and above existing plans, we include resources that can assist with the areas that the State-owned power utility Eskom grid will probably never get to, for various reasons ranging through costs, terrain and demand.”

Geographic constraints, low population density and high connection costs make traditional electrification impractical in many remote regions, strengthening the case for standalone, locally managed energy systems, she adds.

A key advantage of microgrids is their ability to deliver energy rapidly without the long lead times associated with large infrastructure rollouts.

“Microgrids can alleviate grid infrastructure stress dramatically by providing energy much faster, enabling quick energy security deployment without putting continuous pressure on a centralised system,” Surridge says.

Against an urban and peri-urban backdrop, this is particularly relevant in rapidly developing areas, where new residential and commercial activity can outstrip available supply. In such contexts, decentralised solutions enable communities and businesses to secure reliable electricity without waiting for large-scale infrastructure expansion.

Further, Surridge notes that microgrids also support more efficient energy use by localising supply and consumption, adding that if remote areas are provided with their own energy, they will not strain supply in other areas, highlighting microgrids’ role in improving overall system resilience.

Cost-Effective Solutions, User Behaviour

Research by SANEDI shows that microgrids become increasingly viable as distances from existing infrastructure increase.

“If you’re more than 15 km away, it’s often more cost-effective to deploy a microgrid.”

In deep rural areas, where populations are sparse and energy demand is modest, decentralised systems offer a practical and scalable alternative and, once installed, they also carry significantly lower operations costs. After installation, the biggest concern is maintenance, Surridge adds.

Electrification through microgrids can stimulate local economic activity, gradually increasing demand and supporting longer-term development, however, the success of microgrids relies on technology as well as user acceptance and interaction.

Surridge stresses the importance of ensuring that there is buy-in, support and understanding from end-users, as well as an adequate understanding of how microgrids work – similar to the population’s general knowledge on usable items such as cellphones.

This understanding includes adapting energy usage to the weather, particularly for solar-based systems, and managing demand to ensure reliability during periods of low generation.

On the technical side, she says system design must account for environmental factors and potential variability in supply.

Surridge says people in remote locations have the option of either using energy more sparingly or oversizing their system to manage that risk, noting that some pilot systems have been deliberately oversized to ensure continuity during extended periods of poor weather.

Innovative Solutions

SANEDI is piloting a microgrid installation in Limpopo that incorporates advanced design features, including robust technology in battery storage, rooftop PV systems and heat-reflective coatings aimed at improving efficiency.

“We are currently building a digital twin to simulate how these systems perform under different environmental conditions, as we cannot wait ten years to understand performance; we want to predict it, to inform industry and government of technology potential,” Surridge declares.

The research also focuses on environmental degradation, particularly in harsh conditions, such as mining regions, where dust, pollution and extreme weather might impact on system longevity.

As South Africa aims to expand energy access and improve resilience, microgrids are emerging as a flexible, scalable and increasingly cost-effective complementary solution to traditional grid expansion. While this period represents the start of a novel experiment, it is becoming evident that microgrids have a critical role to play in energy delivery going forward, she concludes.