The Grand-Bassin Case Study: A Step In Sustainable Development

Abstract

In La Réunion, a point-to-point link transferring energy via a 2.45 GHz microwave beam to a small isolated mountain village (Grand-Bassin) was demonstrated. Technical, financial and environmental aspects of the Grand-Bassin case study, which is commercially viable, are considered. Such a link, carrying power, would be an alternative to conventional power lines, with far better aesthetic integration into the natural environment. It must comply strictly to safety standards in order to be accepted by the public, and demonstrate that no health or environmental damage occurs.

A minimum of 20% global efficiency has to be reached by the system to be competitive with photovoltaic techniques in terms or running costs, and this system’s efficiency should be well above that minimum. More studies have to be pursued, more specifically on microwave sources and rectifiers to reach the highest expected performance and to make the system portable so that it can deliver clean and sustainable energy to other isolated sites in need of electrical power.