- Title
- Implementation framework for microgrids as an energy solution to uplift rural communities in the Eastern Cape
- Creator
- Sibulelokuhle Xulaba
- Subject
- Renewable energy sources -- Eastern Cape
- Subject
- Microgrids (Smart power grids) -- Eastern Cape
- Date Issued
- 2022-12
- Date
- 2022-12
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60071
- Identifier
- vital:62916
- Description
- People in remote areas of most developing countries still face economic and environmental challenges despite our more accessible world of technology. Access to reliable and sustainable electricity is the most challenging developmental issue faced by rural communities in South Africa, as grid expansion has dwindled due to business challenges experiences by the state power producer, Eskom. Unless businesses and homeowners in unconnected areas use generators, which are costly to run and environmentally unfriendly, most will continue to remain without electricity for the foreseeable future. The purpose of this study therefore is to provide a model for the successful implementation of renewable energy microgrids to overcome poverty and promote economic development in rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The data for the study was collected from three district municipalities in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The province is divided into homeland and farms, with the farms that were sampled for the study situated on State-owned land. The sample group comprised small businesses operating in these rural areas. The study used a mixed-method research design, the methodology being found to be the most suitable for the study. The study uses a questionnaire-variant convergent design that consisted of a mixture of open-ended and close-ended questions. The sample group was situated in areas with limited electricity or internet access, therefore face-toface structured interviews were conducted. Meta-inference was used for data interpretation, and a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods was used to analyse the data. For the open-ended questions, thematic analysis was used, whilst descriptive statistics were used for the closed-ended questions. The study found that most businesses operating in rural areas do not have access to electricity. Those businesses which do not have electricity must make use of diesel-powered generators to continue to trade, which makes their businesses unprofitable. They spend a large proportion of their earnings purchasing fuel to achieve the desire thermal comfort for their stock, or to pump water via boreholes or piped dam structures. The study showed that implementing a renewable energy microgrids provides a viable option, supporting the literature reviewed. This will promote economic development in these areas of the Eastern Cape. Developing and enhancing the standard of living can assist in reducing the number of people migrating to urban areas whilst providing an opportunity to increase farm yields, grow rural business and change the lives of the poor for the better.
- Description
- Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (iii, 90 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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NMU School of the Built Environment
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Xulaba, S Dec 2022.pdf | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |