Catherine Adelmann

Job Title: PhD Candidate
Company: University of Applied Science Ulm
Country: Germany

Catherine Adelmann is co-founder and former General Manager of Fosera Solarsystems GmbH & Co. KGaA, a leading manufacturer of Pico-Solar-Home-Systems for rural electrification. In addition to her entrepreneurial achievements, she is a Startup Coach at the Startup Center and PhD candidate in the research group of smart grids at the University of Applied Sciences Ulm. She serves as a member of the advisory board of the Global Renewables Congress (GRC), where she advocates for large-scale renewable energy deployment.

May 07, 2025Challenges of Rural Electrification

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Sessions

Session

Off-Grid: Rural Electrification Based on Solar Systems - Lessons Learned

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

ICM München Room 14 C

Off-grid solar systems are often the least expensive option for rural electrification. Solar home systems can power individual households, while mini-grids can supply entire villages. Each comes with its own advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. The aim of this session is to explore challenges as well as success stories. It takes well-functioning components such as battery systems, charge management and inverters to make projects successful. Proper system sizing, maintenance and repair management, as well as a robust financial concept are also necessary. If one of these elements is missing, the electrification will not be sustainable. This session will focus on the aspects mentioned above. The speakers will present successful and unsuccessful approaches and discuss what can be learned from them.