Wind energy integration in Madagascar

Javier Roldn Rivas

ABSTRACT
In developing countries and isolated zones, large parts of the population are negatively affected
by the lack of access to reliable and affordable energy. Traditional power systems used for
provide electricity are based on fossil fuels, which are often costly and inaccessible. Thus,
sustainable energy supply plays a decisive role in reducing poverty and developing
communities.
For electrifying rural areas, usually standardized solutions have been implemented using the
same technology at all the places. Nevertheless, these solutions are not always the most suitable.
In this present work, the feasibility of the wind energy integration in Madagascar will be
discussed. Recent studies and researches indicate that systems based on more than one
renewable energy resource together with batteries and a genset when is required, could form a
hybrid system more reliable, efficient and cost-effective in households and off-grid areas in
order to achieve its socio-economic development.

INTRODUCTION
Reliable access to electricity is a basic precondition for enhancing peoples lives in developing
countries and rural areas, for improved healthcare and education, and for growth within local
economies. Worldwide, 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity. An estimated 80%
of these people live in rural areas. Additionally, nearly 2.7 billion people rely on the traditional
use of biomass for cooking [25]. By 2030, according to International Energy Agency
projections, the number of people without electricity is not likely to drop due to population
growth.
Among other benefits, access to electricity helps to reduce lung and eyesight illnesses caused by
smoke from firewood for cooking and heating and the kerosene lamps for lighting. Furthermore,
electricity extends the daily productive hours, increases access to means of communication and
improves schools and health centers through the use of electrical devices.
Madagascar, with a population of 22.5 million, is one of the poorest countries in the world [3].
The 70% of them live in rural areas, where only the 4% have access to electricity (see figure 1).
Otherwise, urban areas only reach the 37% of electricity access. Furthermore, the 98% of the
population uses biomass for cooking and heating purposes, especially firewood and charcoal
[25], which result in an extensive deforestation (see figure 2), among other problems listed
above [2][4].
The total primary energy supply is based on biomass (90%), followed by oil (9%) and
hydropower (1%), as shown in figure 3 [1]. Although Madagascar have exploitable oil reserves,
all the petroleum-based products are imported, creating a huge dependence. Concerning to
electricity, there are now three grids in the country; the Antananarivo Grid, the Toamasina Grid

and the Fianarantsoa Grid, and over half of the generation is produced through hydropower and
the other part through oil generators (diesel and heavy fuel) [4][25].
Paradoxically, developing countries which have a poor electrification rate normally have a wide
variety of renewable resources which have not been harnessed. In the case of Madagascar, solar,
wind, biomass, oceanic, geothermal and especially, hydropower can be perfectly exploited [15].
Concerning wind power, its deployment to date has been very limited when compared to
hydropower, even though the levelized cost of electricity from onshore wind technologies has
fallen considerably in recent years. Wind energy can be a highly cost competitive where the
resources are good, however, other factors as small markets and economies, the lack of
electrification and the power grid size could limit its deployment [5].
According to IEA, Madagascar has one of the greatest onshore and offshore wind potential of
Africa. Therefore, in the present work, the wind energy integration in Madagascar will be
discussed.

METHODOLOGY

Study area

A brief analysis of the current situation of Madagascar has been carried out. The main socioeconomic aspects have been reviewed in order to understand the current and possible energy
realities of Madagascar. Therefore, data as rural and urban population, national power grids, the
electricity access degree, total primary energy supply and what resources were employed to
generate electricity among other information, were used for this work.

Resource assessment

So as to assess the potential of renewable energy resources, data concerning the availability of
the different resources in Madagascar were obtained through the several agencies,
organizations, atlas, publications and other sources.

Literature review

In order to achieve an optimal integration of the wind energy in Madagascar, an extensive

review of literature related to electrification in rural areas, off-grid systems, hybrid renewable
energy systems throughout the world and small wind energy technologies has been carried out.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Madagascar has a great potential in terms of renewable energy (solar energy 5,5kWh/m2/day,
hydropower potential estimated at 7800 MW, wind onshore and offshore, oceanic, biomass,
biofuel and maybe a little of geothermal); however, very little has been harnessed so far [1-5].
Focusing on the wind potential, 3 kinds of winds are distinguished: the coastal winds and other
locals wind, the Alizs and the cyclones. Whereas the first types of winds have a daily variation,
Alizs have a seasonal variation, but both usable. However, cyclones are phenomena which can
present an important barrier for wind energy development, and occur during the austral summer
(from December to March), especially in the Central East coast (see figure 4). Thus, only the
northern part (around Antsiranana) and the southern part (around Taolagnaro) have wind speeds
more than 7m/s (50 m high) favorable to electricity production (see figure 5). Although in some
places of the highlands the wind speed is lower, may also be suitable for small wind turbines
[1][2][7][8].
Therefore, in order to integrate wind energy in Madagascar, the installation of large and medium
turbines could only supply electricity to the bigger cities located in the North and South of the
island, which have distribution grids.
On the other hand, most of population (about 16 millions of people) lives in rural areas which
have no access to electricity. Only less than 5 % of them and mostly by diesel generator [2][4].
Moreover, since cyclones represent a serious risk for wind turbines, another way to supply
electricity through wind energy must be proposed.
A first option is simply to extend the national grid. Nevertheless, as in our case, this can be
extremely costly due to rural areas are in remote areas and far from the national grid.
Additionally, the demand is so low that it is not worth [9][10].
In some accurate communities, houses, farms or schools where the wind conditions are
adequate, small and medium turbines can satisfy the total demand (see figure 6). In addition,
wind turbines can be widely used for extracting drinking water [6][11][2]. Furthermore, small
size turbines can be lowered in case of cyclone.
Taking into account the intermittency nature of renewable resources, the use of only individual
renewable energy resource may lead to over-sizing systems and needless costs. Moreover, in the
case of Madagascar, hydropower and solar energy are more abundant and hence, a combination
of different resources to form a single system is usually more reliable, efficient and costeffective than systems that rely on a single source of energy [9][12-16].
So that based on off-grid supply, the hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is often the best
solution for electrifying remote and rural areas (see figure 7). In each zone, an exhaustive study
of the available resources must be done. Thus, for an optimal combination of different
renewable energies, various types of hybrid systems and methods of techno-economic analysis,
such as HOMER and LINGO can be used [17].
Depending on the emplacement and the conditions, the most frequent HRES are those
consisting of the best combination of renewable energy as PV, wind and small hydro together
with batteries and/or a genset. The consumption of diesel is practically insignificant in
comparison with system based only on diesel [12] [18-21]. Furthermore, according to future
projects ant the potential of biofuel production in Madagascar, the supply of electricity could
become cleaner apart from developing this kind of industry [22-24].
In some cases, diesel generator could be fully replaced by a 100% renewable energy power
generation system. The combination of solar/wind/hydro energy and battery storage can supply
electricity continuously [21].

Finally, achieving a sustainable economic and an extensive use of HRES will only be feasible if
local management plans, effective policies, significant finance and international cooperation are
implemented [10][19].

CONCLUSION
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. Around 70 percent of population lives
in rural areas where about 4% even less have access to electricity through diesel generators.
Almost all the rural households and around 95% of the urban households use firewood and
sometimes charcoal for cooking and heating purposes, which involve a massive deforestation.
In addition to hydro and solar energy, wind is one of the most profitable renewable resources,
especially in the North and South of the island. But cyclones must be taken into consideration to
choose the suitable emplacement.
Although wind energy can supply the total electricity demand to some places or buildings,
Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems are often the most reliable, efficient and the cheapest choice
for electrifying rural and off-grid zones. Moreover, despite the fact that HRES may have
sometimes a relatively higher cost of energy (COE) than the national tariff, its use is a highly
congruent solution which will help to allow the socio-economic development of the nowelectrified areas, and will promote the environmental sustainability by reducing the demand of
wood and fossil fuels.
It therefore has to be concluded that, through small and medium turbines in off-grid hybrid
systems, wind energy can be successfully integrated.

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ANNEXES

Figure 1. International Energy Agency: WEO 2014 [5].

Figure 2. Map of the forest cover in 2000 [2].

Figure 3. Total Primary Energy Supply. IRENA [1].

Figure 4. Cyclone Giovanna in Madagascar (2012) [26].

Figure 5. Wind Atlas of Madagascar. Vergnet [8].

Figure 6. Renewable energy supply in communities of Madagascar [6].

Figure 7. Hybrid Renewable Power System [10].

10