New Energy & Microgrid

How solar, wind, storage and hydropower combine into reliable mini-grids — and how we deliver them, from feasibility to commissioning.

Microgrid 101

What Is a Microgrid?

A microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid — it can connect to and disconnect from the main grid to operate in grid-connected or islanded mode. (Definition: U.S. Department of Energy)

Microgrid composition: combined heat and power, renewable energy, energy storage, homes and facilities, microgrid controller, generator and utility grid — Composition of a typical microgrid (Source: U.S. DOE)

Distributed Generation

Solar PV, small wind, small hydro and backup gensets — the power sources of the microgrid.

Energy Storage

Batteries — and pumped storage at larger scale — absorb surpluses and cover peaks.

Loads

Homes, factories, clinics and telecom sites — prioritized and managed intelligently.

Microgrid Controller

The brain: real-time dispatch, source switching and protection coordination.

Two Operating Modes

Grid-Connected & Islanded Operation

In grid-connected mode the microgrid exchanges power with the utility grid. When the grid fails or the link opens, the controller isolates the microgrid and local sources keep supplying local loads on their own — islanded operation, the reason microgrids are so valuable where the central grid is weak or absent.

Animation: grid-connected mode (blue) vs. islanded mode (red)

Principles

How the Sources Work

Three building blocks of every hybrid system, animated.

Solar PV — Sunlight hits the panels and produces DC power; inverters convert it to AC for loads or the grid.

Wind Power — Wind spins the blades, the generator produces power, and a step-up station feeds the grid.

Battery Storage — Charge at off-peak hours, discharge at peak hours — smoothing the daily load curve.

Storage

Energy Storage & Pumped Hydro

In mini-grids, batteries cover daily cycling. At larger scale, pumped-storage hydropower acts as the grid's battery: water is pumped uphill when power is abundant and released through turbines when it is scarce — still the largest share of energy storage capacity worldwide today.

Open-loop pumped-storage hydropower: upper reservoir, penstock and tunnel, powerhouse with generator and motor, turbine and pump, lower reservoir — Open-loop pumped-storage hydropower (Source: U.S. DOE)

Our Core Strength

Hydropower — the Stable Anchor of a Hybrid Microgrid

Solar and wind are variable; hydropower is dispatchable. Pairing run-of-river or dam hydropower with PV and wind lets the controller balance the system in real time, cutting diesel consumption dramatically while keeping supply stable — exactly the hybrid model we engineer for rural electrification.

Dam-type hydropower plant cross-section: reservoir, intake, control gate, penstock, generator, turbine, transformer, powerhouse, long-range power lines — Dam-type hydropower plant (Source: U.S. DOE)

Run-of-river diversion small hydro: river diversion, canal, forebay with trashrack, penstock, powerhouse, tailrace and transmission line — Run-of-river / diversion-type small hydro (Source: U.S. DOE)

The Next Step

Virtual Power Plants — Aggregating Distributed Energy

A virtual power plant (VPP) aggregates many small distributed resources — rooftop solar, batteries, EV chargers, flexible loads — into one portfolio that is dispatched like a single power plant.

Animation: distributed resources aggregated by a VPP platform

Value streams of a virtual power plant: resource adequacy, affordability, reliability, decarbonization — Value streams of a VPP (Source: U.S. DOE)

The U.S. DOE estimates U.S. VPP deployment could reach 80–160 GW by 2030 (U.S. market context, DOE Liftoff report 2023). For African utilities, the same aggregation principles apply to mini-grids and distributed generation.

Delivery

From Science to Delivery

We apply these principles in turnkey projects: hybrid microgrids that combine hydropower with solar PV and diesel backup, orchestrated in real time by our SCADA platform.

Microgrid design process: define objectives, characterize load and resources, identify options, design solution, estimate costs, user evaluation — Microgrid design process (Source: U.S. DOE)

Hybrid System Design

Load profiling, source-mix optimization, battery sizing, simulation modeling.

Smart SCADA

Real-time dispatch, remote monitoring, automated failover between sources.

Solar PV Integration

Panel procurement, inverter selection, mounting structures, grid-tie or off-grid.

Backup & Distribution

Standby gensets with automatic transfer, mini-grid lines, transformers, smart metering.

Explore the full delivery scope →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a microgrid run without the main grid?+

Yes. Islanded operation is the defining feature of a microgrid: when the utility connection is lost, the controller disconnects the microgrid and local sources keep supplying local loads on their own.

Does every microgrid need batteries?+

Not always. If a dispatchable source such as small hydropower is available and well sized, it can balance much of the variability; batteries then improve power quality and cover short peaks.

What system sizes do you deliver?+

Our hybrid microgrid solutions typically range from 50 kW to 10 MW — serving roughly 100 to 10,000+ households, or a commercial/industrial site.

Microgrid vs. virtual power plant — what is the difference?+

A microgrid is a physically bounded system that can island itself; a VPP is a software aggregation of many separate resources dispatched together. Weak grids need microgrids; strong grids can host VPPs on top.

Sources & Attribution

U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office — Microgrid Overview (Jan 2024). U.S. Department of Energy — Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Virtual Power Plants (Sep 2023). Diagrams: DOE, public domain. Principle animations: originally created for this site.

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