GIS BASED APPROACH FOR ELECTRIFICATION PLANNING AND MODELLING IN CHIRADZULU DISTRICT, MALAWI
Abstract
Most of the developing countries confront a challenge of lack of access to consistent electricity supply service. Usually, the common affected sites are rural and peri-urban areas since they occur to be far from town and cities. Geographic information system (GIS) is gradually becoming a preference for energy modelling and planning to enhance electricity distribution in rural areas. Malawi Rural Electrification Program (MAREP) defies the challenge of lack of access to electricity by proposition of electrification models for energy analysis, design and distribution across rural areas. Electrification modelling involves the incorporation of various geospatial datasets as well as attribute datasets for analysis, processing and model development. The datasets including Chiradzulu boundary data, MAREP sites data, ESCOM dataset consisting of Distribution lines and service transformers among others. The data is analysed and processed in ArcMap software tool in order to assess the presence of electricity in the surrounding MAREP sites in relation to the existing electricity grids shown after processing by geospatial processing tool commonly known as buffer tool. Buffer analysis facilitates identification of MAREP sites that lay around within a radius to an existing electricity grid as well as those sites that are beyond the electricity grid. The topography of Chiradzulu district, determined by contours enable identification of potential areas for alternative renewable energy sources including solar, wind and biomass energy. Areas of high elevation tend to receive strong winds necessary for generation of wind energy as a supplement in areas where electricity grid is not practically feasible. In flat lands, the probable energy alternative is solar and in areas of very low elevation usually close to water bodies, the implementation of biomass energy production can prove to be essential. The output data model shows a rural electrification model for Chiradzulu district with information displaying digitized spatial features representing electricity distribution lines extensions along with the alternative sources of energy in their respective spatial locations that ensures just access to electricity across all MAREP sites in Chiradzulu district as a whole.
Research summary
The data is analysed and processed in ArcMap software tool in order to assess the presence of electricity in the surrounding MAREP sites in relation to the existing electricity grids shown after processing by geospatial processing tool commonly known as buffer tool. Buffer analysis facilitates identification of MAREP sites that lay around within a radius to an existing electricity grid as well as those sites that are beyond the electricity grid. In flat lands, the probable energy alternative is solar and in areas of very low elevation usually close to water bodies, the implementation of biomass energy production can prove to be essential. The output data model shows a rural electrification model for Chiradzulu district with information displaying digitized spatial features representing electricity distribution lines extensions along with the alternative sources of energy in their respective spatial locations that ensures just access to electricity across all MAREP sites in Chiradzulu district as a whole.