Informing rural electrification: Mini Grids
The HOT Tanzania team are mapping rural areas of Tanzania to better understand the viability of providing off-grid, renewable electricity solutions.
In partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), with input from related projects executed by RLI and INTEGRATION, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team in Tanzania have begun the ‘Mini Grids’ project - a data collection initiative to help inform rural electrification plans in Tanzania. Once the (relatively easy to reach) urban areas of Tanzania are excluded, only 15.5% of Tanzania’s rural population has access to electricity. Working closely with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Tanesco, and renewable energy providers, the Mini Grids project aims to pinpoint which areas are most appropriate for on-grid or off-grid solutions to ensure that, collaboratively, the whole of Tanzania can gain access to electricity.
In order to help improve development across rural Tanzania, the HOT team have begun mapping rural areas of Tanzania to better understand the viability of providing electricity from various energy sources across different communities. This data will help stakeholders identify appropriate energy models for specific areas in need of electrification. Armed with a digitisation team of over 65 Tanzanian students, all capable of digitising more than 1000 buildings per day, the HOT team will be mapping over 50% of homes across rural Tanzania.
