Definitions
The two main off-grid solar innovations which in the last 10 years have emerged as viable solutions for rural electrification in countries where universal access has not yet been met are solar home systems (SHSs) and solar lanterns and multi-light solar systems (collectively referred to as pico-solar systems/solutions). Solar mini- and micro-grids have also seen considerable levels of growth due to their ability to satisfy higher level of demand. However, they demonstrate mixed traits of both on-grid and off-grid solutions, particularly from the business model point of view. Therefore, this chapter will focus on SHSs and pico-solar systems as fully stand-alone off-grid solar solutions.
Solar home systems are stand-alone solar PV systems with power storage in a form of a battery (usually lithium-ion or lead-acid) which can supply sufficient power for appliances...
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Bisaga, I. (2020). Innovation for Off-Grid Solar Rural Electrification. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Affordable and Clean Energy. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_138-1
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