Agenda  

1. Introductions
2. How to become involved in the working group
3. Task Force Updates
4. Pre-feasibility toolkit
5. Task Force Proposal: Electrification Issues on Native American Lands
6. Officers for 2021 – 23
7. Goals for 2021 – 22         

 Resolutions:

• Proposed TF on Electrification Issues on Native Lands was supported by the WG, led by Henry Louie.
• Incoming officers are:

• Past Chair – Henry Louie
• Chair – Peter Dauenhauer
• Vice Chair – Niru Kumar
• Secretary – Robert Nutter
• Research Coordinator – Jean-Michel Clairand

New Goals for 2021/2022

Several potential goals were discussed by the members during the meeting and listed below.  The leadership will follow up to determine which ones can be supported and in what format.  (Continued goals from 2020/2021 are carried over.)

• Panel for 2022 GM – Denver-based energy access work
• Panel for 2022 GM / Webinar international experiences in electrification for indigienous communities in developed countries
• Webinar – comparing the electrification challenge in developed vs. developing countries
• Review paper on solutions emphasizing international experiences
• Improving the Multi-tier Energy Access Framework
• Knowledge hub for global energy access projects

New Task Force: Electrification Issues on Native American Lands

• Electricity access is a significant problem in indigenous communities around the world. In the U.S. alone, there are currently 70,000 to 100,000 indigenous people without access to electricity. There have recently been a number of solar home systems (SHSs) established, but these communities could benefit from a concerted effort to look into their electrification needs.
• There are open research questions around the load profiles and energy use in these communities; the reliability of their current energy access; and how these compare with trends in other parts of the world.
• Working with these communities to develop solutions that meet technical as well as social needs also meshes well with the emphasis on the concepts of energy equity and energy justice.
• Indigenous communities can be found across the globe. However, for the time being, the TF will focus on communities in the US. It can expand its reach once it’s more established.
• The NSF has shown an interest in funding the TF’s work. Current plans are to begin by reaching out to Hopi, Navajo, and Lakota communities.

Panels for PES GM ’22 (Denver)

• In sync with the new TF, a panel has been proposed for the WG to sponsor at the next PES GM:
  • Panelists would discuss their experiences with community off-grid electrification in indigenous communities. There could be an emphasis on comparing experiences in developed and developing countries.
• These may also be good concepts for upcoming webinars that the WG can host.

Review Paper on Shared Solution Experiences, Knowledge Hub for Global Energy Access Projects

• This Workgroup can serve as a reservoir of knowledge and experience for establishing sustainable energy systems for off-grid applications. We are capable of building a repository of projects and lessons learned. Those people and organizations interested in designing, deploying and operating small-scale sustainable energy systems can use the repository to help guide their work.
• As part of this, we should look into authoring a Review Paper on the solutions our members have developed and deployed, highlighting areas of commonality that others can use to help guide their efforts.

Multi-Tier Access Framework Improvements

• Abhi Chatterjee has conducted research into the World Bank’s Multi-Tier Access Framework (MTF). He has found that the MTF does not apply very well when applied to off-grid scenarios or at a community scale. He has proposed authoring a paper to address this.

Pre-Feasibility Toolkit Updates

• Robert Nutter provided an update on the Economic portion of the Pre-Feasibility Toolkit.
  • The team built three test models based on technical literature that describe current community-sized projects. These models will be used to calculate four common economic metrics (NPV, IRR, and annual and cumulative cash flows) in HOMER, NRCan’s RETScreen, and the Economic Toolkit. If the Toolkit’s outputs agree within 10%, then the Toolkit will be deemed ready for distribution.
  • An important note is that the Toolkit is not meant to supplant or replace other tools. It is intended to provide a quick first look at a project, to determine if it is worth investing time and resources to build models in these other, more complex tools.
  • The RETScreen portion of the Validation testing has been completed. Those outputs selected for validation show strong correlation between the models; variations can be attributed to a different methodology for calculating IRR, or lack of experience by the tester.
  • The HOMER portion of the Validation testing has begun. Rob is putting together the data along with a list of questions and issues.
  • Anyone in the Workgroup that has experience with HOMER is invited to assist.
• We have been accepted to present the Toolkit at the upcoming GHTC in October. Rob will be circulating draft slides to interested parties by the end of August; please reach out to him if you wish to help review. (Big thanks to Wei-Jen and Jean for their help already.)
• As a reminder, the Economic Toolkit TF holds monthly meetings on the first Thursday of each month: In odd months, meetings will be held at 0730 Pacific/1030 Eastern/1530 GMT (or BST); even months, 1400 Pacific/1700 Eastern/2200 GMT (or BST).