Toolkit ready for implementation for mini-grids in remote Sabah villages

KOTA KINABALU: Some 200 remote villages in Sabah have been identified for implementation of renewable energy mini-grids.

A consortium of NGOs working together on the project said that they had completed a toolkit for guiding the planning and implementation of renewable energy mini-grids specifically targeting the remote villages that were not linked to any power grids.

The new Toolkits are developed with the assistance of Green Empowerment and enable best practices to be applied to the planning and design of next generation mini-grids at scales crafted to meet the growing needs of Sabah’s rural communities.

The Toolkits are rooted in experience and data collected from Sabah and also draw on proven best practices from throughout the world, where the decentralisation of electricity grids and the development of renewable sources are major trends.

Tonibung executive director Alice Jipinus said the toolkits could be used as mini-grid implementers as a formula to help quickly assess how much power was available from a given stream, and if it was enough to meet the community’s needs.

"It is clear from the toolkits that mini-hydro is now the most cost effective way to generate electricity in remote rural Sabah.

"The use of mini-grids is quite different from each household having their own private electric system.

"Mini-grids enable a community to produce their own power in bulk and distribute it to their members.

"By collaborating they can produce enough power to run refrigeration and other appliances that can transform rural livelihoods," she said.

Pacos Trust's Junia Anilik said that most of the communities in the areas identified were ready to learn and manage their own electricity systems that would enhance their livelihoods and wellbeing.

Pacos Trust and Tonibung were among the members of a consortium building the Sabah Renewable Energy Rural Electrification Roadmap (SabahRE2), the others being Forever Sabah, and Green Empowerment.

Research teams gathering data for feasibility studies to serve 49 villages with 35 mini-grid found that remote villages had streams perfect for mini-hydro, that could be installed without constructing dams and disrupting local ecology.

Funding to develop this Road Map was provided by the British Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, under an international programme called "Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions" (UK PACT).

The Consortium was building a blended funding strategy whereby international grant funding, private sector investment, government support and bank loans enable the scale-out of mini-grids across Sabah.