133450Connect the unconnected: smart nanogrid management for peer-to-peer energy sharingClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UK"620m people lack access the electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Small solar home systems (""SHS"") are a sustainable solution to supplying electricity across these developing countries in an affordable manner, increasing energy reliability and replacing the use of harmful fossil fuels. However, the poorest consumers currently pay 9x more for their SHS than those with bigger systems. The costs of producing solar hardware mean this problem is difficult for small standalone systems on their own to overcome, despite increasing competitiveness in the market. Without necessary innovation, millions are at risk of continually being left-behind without access to affordable electricity. A potential solution to this problem is to use solar nanogrids. In these super-small grids, owners of larger systems share their excess capacity to their neighbours in a peer-to-peer network. This would provide cheaper electricity to the lower end users and a saving mechanism for the SHS owner. SHS companies have the SHS kits to provide the energy generation but lack the expertise and technology to manage the networks. We aim to build on our low-cost, resilient smart meter platform to assess the technical and operational feasibility of an advanced automation system for these smart nanogrids. Our proposed system utilises emerging computing and communications technology to reduce the operational cost of supplying electricity. Using advanced data analytics, pay-as-you-go mobile payments, and a suite of tools based on data-driven algorithms and automated decision-making, our cloud software platform will enable the retail of affordable electricity, even in the most challenging, remote locations. This will unlock the widespread roll-out of electricity to rural communities, significantly reducing the economic, health and environmental damage caused by unsustainable energy sources."