Let's close the electricity access gap!

Who are we?

Gridville is a student project at NTNU Trondheim, created by Engineers Without Borders (EWB) NTNU, the local student department of EWB Norway. The project involves students designing and building a microgrid, which will supply a village that does not have access to electricity. The project combines sustainable electricity production with humanitarian aid work, which makes it a unique interdisciplinary project. Through this project, we want to give students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a central part of the energy network of the future, as well as gain practical experience with humanitarian aid-related issues.

 

A unique power system

Gridville’s core value is UN’s sustainable development goals number 7, 11 and 13:

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Help building communities independent from national grids

Reduce global emissions through clean energy

Through our project, we hope to contribute to achieve this.

 
 

  • We want to build an electronic system that is not connected to any national or regional network. Power production will initially come from a combination of solar and windpower. But we are also considering including hydropower. During periods of high production and low consumption, energy will be stored in a battery pack.

  • The user will be a small village, a community centre or a small farm in a developing country. The system will supply the user with power and will thereby increase the quality of life for the user in a sustainable way.

    We are currently working with Kathmandu University in Nepal.

  • The goal is to make Gridville an annual project, where we design a grid for a new location every year. We expect that the first cycluses of the project will take longer. This is because we are prioritize quality over quantity. Real people are going to use our technology. Therefore, safety for life and operation are our priorities when it comes to design and construction. But after the first cycles, the foundation will be laid for the cycles to last around one year.

 
 
 
 

The project

The world is facing major challenges related to climate change. The energy demand is constantly increasing and the phasing out of non-renewable energy sources requires a new way of thinking about the production, transport and storage of electricity. These challenges hit developing countries in particular, as the transition to renewable energy and power grid development both require large investment costs.

At GridVille, we believe that a microgrid equipped with renewable energy sources can solve this problem. A microgrid does not require large investment costs, which can give people living far from existing power grids access to electricity. GridVille is a voluntary student project intended to develop competence among NTNU students, as well as help people who do not have access to electricity.

As a member of GridVille, you will gain insight into electricity production and experience in team and development work. The members of GridVille get the opportunity to combine theory and practice, while making a difference for other people. GridVille is a voluntary position for students at NTNU Trondheim, it is primarily possible to apply for admission to the position at the start of studies in the autumn. It is also possible to contribute to the project through master's and bachelor theses.

Electrifying the world grid by grid

Our long-term goal is to establish GridVille as an annual project, where a grid is designed and built for a new location every year. This is how we can do our part to change the fact that 789 million people do not have direct access to electricity. 

An annual project like GridVille does not exist in the world yet. We hope to lay the foundation and inspire other universities around the world to establish similar projects. Thus, we students together can electrify the world grid by grid. This leads us to our slogan, which is:

Sustainable power by students – creating value for others