Standardization of PV Mini-grids

Overview

Standardized design is an approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts (modules) that can be independently created and then used in different combinations to drive multiple functionalities. Regarding photovoltaic (PV) mini-grids, besides reduction in cost due to lesser customization, and flexibility in design, modularity offers other benefits such as augmentation (adding new solution by merely plugging in a new module). A downside to modularity (and this depends on the extent of modularity) is that modular systems are not optimized for performance. This is usually due to the costs created of over sizing the systems to fit a majority of users. This performance loss will be analyzed further on to evaluate if it is really effective or not to create a PV modular unit.