A concept of DC nano-grid for low cost energy access in rural Bangladesh

Energy access is one of the major impediments in popularizing renewable energy based energy solutions for rural areas of the developing countries like Bangladesh. Despite the success of Solar Home System, energy availability for economic activities are still limited. Very small scale solar PV based grid systems, less than 10kW, named as nano-grid, seems to be an attractive solution. This paper presents the idea of using DC for the nano-grids to reduce cost, retaining most of the advantages of the regular AC grid systems for the household applications. Small cottage industries and/or low power economic activities can also be supported from the nano-grids that can bring in qualitative changes in the livelihood of the rural community.