National Conference on Communications (NCC)

CEDAT, Makerere University

Improving Uganda’s Electricity Reliability By
Integrating Renewable Energy to the National Grid
Timothy Mukhooli
Claire Nyaketcho
Duncan Sebampitako
Makerere University

Abstract Experiments

Uganda has many renewable energy resources that can be used for energy production and the provision of energy
services. These resources include bioenergy, through biomass and biogas, water/ hydro, solar, geothermal and wind
energy potential. However, it still faces a big challenge of reliability of the power in the country. Unreliable power
negatively affects industries as they incur losses since production cannot go on. To resolve this syndrome, our survey
proposes an integration of renewable off-grid energy sources and on-grid sources by use of the smart grid since it
supports bi-directional flow of electricity and information. This will provide back up power for industries and domestic
users hence solving the problem of power reliability. Furthermore, industries can gain revenue by selling renewable
energy to the main grid.
We're now conducting research to see if solar power can be used as a daily source of energy, and we've already helped
install a few solar projects.. In addition, we have sized a 6kW solar PV system for 4 homes in Virgo courts apartments,
Butabika which they are planning to install. Table 1 shows the expected power output from the 6kW PV system within
a period of 14 days from the period of 14 days while table 2 shows the load profile within the same period obtained
from the prepaid (Yaka) meters.

Introduction
Because electricity is such a powerful engine of social and economic change, its availability and reliability are critical
for economic development. Without access to energy services, no country has ever progressed beyond a
subsistence economy. Energy is required to run large industrial machinery and is used to power schools, hospitals,
and contemporary communications technologies, all of which contribute to human capital productivity. Chronically
poor power supply is one of the main difficulties facing African businesses because of its importance to economic
development and social wellbeing.

Problem Statement

• Uganda faces a huge problem of reliability of the power in the country with frequent blackouts and sometimes
brownouts being prevalent in the country. The unreliability is due to a number of factors including deteriorated
power equipment, transformer overloads and maintenance issues.

• Unreliable electricity negatively affects entrepreneur’s potential to establish businesses and this negatively affects
the country’s economy.

• Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to improve on then reliability of electricity stability so as to promote Table 1 Table 2

socio-economic development, including; inadequate infrastructure, weak private sector, small market, lack of
industrialization, underdeveloped services sector, under-development of agriculture, and underdeveloped human
resources, among others. Hence contributing to the transformation of the Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a
Modern and Prosperous Country as the theme for Uganda vision 2040 suggests.
Aim
• The main objective of this survey is to improve reliability of electricity by installing solar energy that can withstand
the required loads for production companies, hospital, schools and integrating it into Uganda’s electricity grid. Since
the costs incurred during the power outages is large.
Observations
The above results indicate the huge potential of solar PV system for the apartments. Clearly, this system is
producing excess supply of solar PV and what could be done with this excess is uncertain. With the
development of a smart grid, this excess energy could be sold to the grid to increase efficiency of its use.
As observed from the results obtained so far, with an installed capacity of solar system that can supply the
demand of a utility, the solar system can be used to run the daily activities of the utility and sell the excess to
the grid in case electricity is not available or to sell all the electricity produced by the solar plant to the grid
when there is electricity.

Why solar energy

Conclusions
• This is because the existing solar data clearly indicates that the solar energy resource in Uganda is high
A smart grid is the future of the electrical power grid. This paper has illustrated how renewable energy specifically solar
throughout the year with an average solar radiation is 5.1 kWh/m2/day. The data indicate a yearly variation
power can supply the required energy for both industrial and domestic use. This can solve the problem of power
(max month / min month) of only about maximum 20% (from 4.5 to 5.5 W/m2), which is due to the location
outages currently experienced in Uganda. A use case of this can be a hospital such as Rubaga Hospital installing solar
near the equator.
panels to provide back up power in case of a power outage. several activities and machinery in hospitals need constant
• The integration of distributed and centralized renewable energy resources could improve efficiency and
power supply such as surgeries being performed and life support machines. On top of that, the solar power would
reliability of the power grid. This is to be efficiently achieved by the use of the smart grid technology. Since 5G
provide a source of revenue to the hospital by selling power from the solar panels to the main grid. In This would
mobile networks for smart grid communications have already started and will be deployed in Uganda in the
however only be possible with presence of the smart grid. We propose that key players like the ministry of Energy and
near future to enhance communication.
mineral development should consider this. Other players would include the Electricity Regulatory Authority for setting
• The figure below represent a demonstration of the proposed system. standards on selling energy to the grid and DSM, UCC for setting standards for 5G communications.

References

1. Thadani, H.L. and Go, Y.I., 2021. Integration of solar energy into low-cost housing for sustainable development:
case study in developing countries. Heliyon, 7(12), p.e08513.
2. Mugagga, R.G. and Chamdimba, H.N.B., 2019. A comprehensive review on status of solar PV growth in
Uganda. Journal of Energy Research and Reviews, 3(4), pp.1-14.
3. Wabukala, B.M., Otim, J., Mubiinzi, G. and Adaramola, M.S., 2021. Assessing wind energy development in
Uganda: Opportunities and challenges. Wind Engineering, 45(6), pp.1714-1732.
4. Fashina, A., Mundu, M., Akiyode, O., Abdullah, L., Sanni, D. and Ounyesiga, L., 2018. The drivers and barriers of
renewable energy applications and development in Uganda: a review. Clean Technologies, 1(1), pp.9-39.
5. "Uganda launches last-mile connectivity to increase electricity access to rural communities," 24 September 2021.
[Online]. Available: https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/uganda-launches-last-mile-
connectivity-increase-
electricityaccessruralcommunities45797#:~:text=A%20recent%20household%20survey%20by,the%20end%20of
%20December%2020 [Accessed 14 June 2022].
Fig. 2: Figure showing an integration of a
solar PV system on to a power grid

National Conference on Communications (NCC), June 21-22, 2022