Sustainable Microgrids for Remote, Isolated and Emerging Areas: Current Trends and Perspectives in Policies, Practices and Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

Access to affordable and clean energy is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (UN). Much has been done in the past few years, but still, 1.1 billion people lack access to electricity. Rural development and energy access are very closely related; it is important to note that 82% of the people of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with no access to electricity live in rural areas. Use of electricity is linked to GDP growth; electricity can be used to power productive uses aiding ultimately in job creation and poverty alleviation. It is estimated that microgrids will play a very crucial role in electrifying the rural areas of the developing world. In Sub-Saharan Africa only about 100,000 to 200,000 microgrids will be needed in the near future. New technologies like multiple product generation, service provisions based on electricity and new digital technology paradigms like Pay-As-You-Go formulate this new environment. The energy–water–agriculture nexus creates new possibilities for formulating business models in microgrids in the developing world that will achieve economic viability.

This Special Issue focuses on current trends and perspectives in policies, practices and technologies of microgrids towards their own sustainability, as well as the sustainability of the areas where it is planned to be installed. We invite you to contribute to this issue by submitting comprehensive reviews, case studies, or research articles that focus on scientific methods, technological tools and innovatively technical–social–economic analyses, in order to provide an opportunity for learning the state-of-the-art and for discussion on future directions in sustainable microgrids. Papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer-review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Prof. Dr. Konstantinos G. Arvanitis
Dr. George Kyriakarakos
Guest Editors

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