NRECA International was awarded a supplemental grant by the U.S. State Department to enhance and expand technical assistance provided to SGAA members and to finance an additional pilot project. The technical assistance and training component included sponsorship for expanded information exchanges, mentoring to encourage peer-to-peer networking and sponsorship of additional regional smart grid workshops.
The technical assistance component was focused on identifying and evaluating typical smart grid implementation challenges. This includes communication issues that arise during installation and testing, and documenting how these challenges have been overcome. A best practices guide in which the planning, design, implementation, and trouble-shooting processes are documented will be shared with all Alliance members at the conclusion of the SGAA activity. This information has been shared with the pilot project contributors and shared at workshops organized by the SGAA team.
The fourth pilot project financed by this expansion project is being implemented with the Roatan Electric Company (RECO) located in Roatan, Honduras. This project was designed specifically to allow integration of renewable energy generation through the application of an advanced metering infrastructure project. This is in combination with a SCADA system that has been designed to monitor and control wind turbine output with the RECO diesel power station.