Access to electricity is essential to improving health, standard of living and economic growth. Although national grids are continually being expanded, some may never reach a large proportion of the people living in remote areas, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Local solar powered microgrids are the best method of providing electricity to these communities. These are standalone grids with their own power generation, storage and distribution, and can range from a few kW to hundreds of kW depending on location.

Eltek’s solution for rural electrification is a solar-powered, modular microgrid. It is based on two main components: solar chargers and a unique bidirectional converter called the Rectiverter™.

The solar chargers convert the energy from the solar panels to DC power to charge the microgrid’s batteries and provide power to the Rectiverter. This, in turn, serves as a power router and inverts the DC power to the AC voltage the community needs. The Rectiverter also has a separate AC input, so users can connect it to a generator or grid to charge the batteries.

Because Eltek’s solution is modular, it offers excellent scalability and flexibility. Users can install the appropriate number of modules required to generate the power to meet expected energy consumption. The solution can normally be expanded with additional modules, thereby helping to avoid overinvestment.

Eltek’s microgrid solution is also highly reliable because the modules are redundant. This means that in the event of a failure, the system will remain operational and the non-functioning module can be replaced quickly. Service and maintenance are also simple and can be carried out by individuals with very limited training.

The market potential of solar-powered microgrids extends beyond providing clean power to rural communities in developing countries. These microgrids can be used as a power supply for a wide range of operations, including emergency relief, hospitals and mining or oil exploration in off-grid or poor grid locations.

Eltek’s solution for rural electrification is based on the company’s extensive experience in hybrid solar-diesel power solutions for telecom base stations. Eltek has installed more than 10 000 of these hybrid solutions.