IoT Communications Technologies to Enable Efficient Scaling of Mini-Grids

联合国可持续发展目标7(SDG7)是确保所有人都能获得负担得起、可靠、可持续的现代能源。获得电力能够促进经济发展，而可持续发展目标7是许多可持续发展目标的基础，从消除贫困到减缓气候变化。8.4亿人仍然无法获得电力，其中大多数人生活在撒哈拉以南非洲，他们别无选择，只能使用不合格、有害和肮脏的燃料来满足他们的能源需求，如煤油灯。数亿人的电力不可靠，忍受着持续的停电，或者依赖小型汽油发电机，这是不健康和不可持续的。连接这些人的最具吸引力、最具成本效益的选择是太阳能迷你电网，通常服务于数千人或数万人。这些通常是由太阳能电池板、电池、充电控制器和逆变器组成的太阳能混合发电系统，带有柴油后备发电机。尽管近年来太阳能电池板和电池存储的成本持续大幅下降，但微型电网项目的财务可行性尚未得到很好的确立。在撒哈拉以南非洲成功运营公用事业尤其具有挑战性，在95%的撒哈拉以南非洲国家，公用事业无法收回成本。这意味着投资者不愿投资，数亿人无法联网。SteamaCo是物联网技术的领先开发商，旨在提高公用事业运营的运营效率，专注于撒哈拉以南非洲的迷你电网。我们提供世界上数据效率最高的电网管理和计量系统，使公用事业/微型电网开发商能够有效运行。对于这家公用事业公司来说，SteamaCo能够在发展中市场实现有效、可扩展的运营。对于最终用户，SteamaCo首次提供了方便、可靠的现代公用事业服务。

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Access to electricity enables economic development, and SDG7 underpins many of the Sustainable Development Goals, from poverty eradication to mitigating climate change. 840 million people still lack access to electricity, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, and have little alternative but to use sub-standard, harmful, and dirty fuels for their energy needs, such as kerosene lamps. Hundreds of millions more have unreliable electricity, tolerating sustained outages, or relying on small gasoline generators, which are unhealthy and unsustainable.Arguably the most attractive cost-efficient option to connect these people is solar mini-grids, typically serving a few thousand or tens of thousands. These are usually solar-hybrid generation systems consisting of solar panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters, with diesel backup generators.Despite significant sustained reductions in the cost of solar panels and battery storage in recent years, financial viability of mini-grids project is not yet well established. Successfully operating utilities in sub-Saharan Africa is especially challenging, and in 95% sub-Saharan African countries, utilities do not recover their costs. This means that investors are unwilling to invest, and hundreds of millions go unconnected.SteamaCo is the leading developer of IoT technologies to improve the operational efficiency of utility operations, with a focus on mini-grids in sub-Saharan Africa. We provide the world's most data-efficient grid-management and metering system, enabling utilities/mini-grid developers to operate effectively. For the utility, SteamaCo enables effective, scalable operations in developing markets. For end-users, SteamaCo offers convenient, reliable access to modern utility services for the first time.