In this article, the MiDiNA partners are delighted to share the latest news, present their actions and the main results of their research project which focuses on the development potential of microgrids and the integration of renewable energies in North Africa.

First and foremost, we had the honor of presenting the project objectives at the LEAP-RE Forum of Kigali in October 2023. This presentation marked a significant milestone for our project, highlighting the importance of our work for regional energy transition.

In terms of recruitment efforts, we have successfully launched two postdoctoral positions at the University of Nantes, strengthening our expertise in key areas of our project. Additionally, our European and African partners have closely collaborated to develop complementary microgrid emulators, paving the way for more precise and meaningful testing of the algorithms under development. In addition, the collaborative research work is actively impulsed by visits from the scientific heads of our partners from the Technical University of Cluj Napoca and Mohamed Ben-Abdellah University to the University of Nantes.

On the research front, our teams are actively engaged in several fronts: collecting and analyzing meteorological data for microgrid sizing in arid regions, conducting a state-of-the-art review on microgrid control, and conducting an in-depth a field survey on consumer behavior led by our partners at the University of M’sila.

The early results are being valorized through collaborative work. A first work is published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports. We have also launched two review articles: a paper on DC microgrid technologies is under review in Applied Energy by Elsviers, and a review article on microgrid control will be submitted as a book chapter for a call for chapters organized by our partners at Mohamed Ben-Abdellah University.

We look forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration and furthering our understanding of microgrids and renewable energies in the arid regions of North-Africa.

The MiDiNA Team