Barrier Analysis for Deployment of Renewable Energy Mini-grids in Myanmar Using AHP

Abstract

Abstract Energy access is still a challenge for many countries, as demonstrated by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7. Though the government of Myanmar set a target of 100% electrification by 2030, currently only less than half of households are connected to national grids. To accelerate electrification, decentralized approaches should be considered more. Mini-grids are an effective option that can fill the gap between a solar home system and a national grid. However, many of the existing mini-grids in Myanmar are powered by diesel generators. In rural areas, diesel fuel is much more expensive than in urban areas because of transportation cost. Under this condition, mini-grids powered by solar photovoltaics and batteries are already cost-competitive with diesel generators. Nevertheless, the deployment of mini-grids powered by renewable energy is still slow. In this study, we analysed barriers to the deployment and the prioritization of these barriers. We conducted a questionnaire survey with stakeholders using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to identify the prioritization of each barrier factor. To see tendencies, we used k-means for clustering results. The results showed that opinions were divided among stakeholders. There is no single silver bullet for the mini-grids and overcoming the barriers needs steady work.