Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2023 - 40

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TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
This monthly column explores the inter-relationships between technology and society. It features people and projects aiming to
deliver a positive impact on the world facing unprecedented social and environmental challenges.
Bringing Sustainable and Affordable Electricity to All
MIT/IIT-Comillas University Energy Initiative spinoff Waya Energy helps countries work toward
universal access to electricity.
W
hile many consider electricity a basic
human right, there are places
where people have never had access to it.
Among the United Nations' Sustainable
Development Goals is global access to
affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy
by 2030. Recently, the U.N. reported
that progress in global electrification had
slowed due to the challenge of reaching
those hardest to reach.
To address that challenge, electrical
engineer Reja Amatya, PhD, co-founded
Waya Energy Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based
startup that is commercializing
MIT/IIT-Comillas University
planning and analysis software, to help
governments determine the most cost-effective
ways to provide electricity to all
their citizens.
Their electrification planning tool is
called the reference electrification model
(R.E.M.). One of its key objectives is to
develop actionable electrification strategies
and plans on a national scale for a
country to incorporate into its five or 10year
plan for the electricity sector.
The model considers various technologies
including, grid extension versus offgrid
systems, and within off-grid systems,
mini or microgrid systems. " We look at
these technologies and assess which is the
least-cost option, " said Amatya.
AT A GLANCE
INNOVATORS: Reja Amatya, President,
Waya Energy
INNOVATION: A new planning tool to aid
governments in underserved countries
expand electricity access to all residents.
IMPACT: This tool will assist governments
to meet the United Nations' Sustainable
Development Goal of achieving global
access to affordable, reliable, and
sustainable energy by 2030.
40
When Waya does a national-scale plan, its tool
analyzes renewable systems using solar as the
default option. (Image: Serhii/Adobe Stock)
Key to their model is geospatially available
data, which has gotten extremely
granular, down to the level of people's
homes. It also locates the existing grid
infrastructure. Using that information,
they can identify areas that don't have any
electricity access or perhaps an extremely
unreliable connection. " We look at that
data and analyze what may be the leastcost
solution for providing access to these
communities, " said Amatya. That information
is what an agency like the World
Bank looks at when they are considering
which projects to finance.
When choosing a particular country,
they do a study to provide insights to decision
makers to assist in their planning.
The study answers basic planning questions
such as: what percentage of the population
does not have access to electricity;
how many mini-grids should be built; how
many grid extensions should be built and
where should they be located; where does
building a grid extension make sense?
" The majority of our current work is on
national-scale studies, where we identify
answers to those questions, " said Amatya.
" We look at it from an integrated perspective,
not advocating for any one technology,
but doing a comparative technical/
economic analysis to determine what
makes the most sense for a given region. "
When they do a national-scale plan,
their tool analyzes renewable systems uswww.techbriefs.com
ing
solar as the default option. However,
they can also zoom in to a particular location
and look at alternative renewables. So
if, for example, on a national scale, they
see that off-grid has better promise and
that the region has a high wind capacity,
they replace solar with wind generation in
the plan. " For example, in Indonesia, hydropower
was an available resource, so we
looked at the micro-hydro potential that
could replace the diesel generators that
were being used, " said Amatya.
For a single community, you can use
the model to design a grid extension system
from the nearest grid line. And for
a given demand, you can use it to calculate
the size and cost of a mini-grid system
for that community and to compare
the costs.
But there are other variables as well.
For example, in Nigeria " The country is
very disconnected. Because of many challenges
for the utilities, the grid is unreliable,
so people don't trust it. That has created
a wide desire for mini-grid systems
even though a community might be near
the grid, " said Amatya.
The need to have standards for defining
how off-grid and grid systems interact
is a critical component of an electrification
plan, Amatya said. " It's essential that
regulations are updated so that in five
years, when there are many grid and offgrid
systems, there will be formal guidance
for best utilizing these assets to provide
better service. "
So, to get back to the example of Nigeria,
since there is a huge infrastructure already
in place, an optimal plan would be
to upgrade and reinforce the grid at the
same time as the off-grid sector is being
developed. " That's the kind of assistance
we want to give stakeholders by using our
tool, " said Amatya.
This article was written by Ed Brown,
Associate Editor, SAE Media Group.
For more information, visit www.wayaenergy.com.
Tech
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Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2023

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