A Smart Grid Ontology for Africa

Sustainable development is a call that concerns both developing and developed countries and includes ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services by 2030 (Goal 7). In the energy domain, there cannot be Smart City or Smart Village without a Smart Energy Management System (SEMS) managing a power grid aimed at providing electrical energy. Nowadays, access to electrical energy through optimal and cost-effective management in generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption, is a requirement that demonstrates the necessity and urgency of transforming traditional (or conventional) power grids into Smart Grids (SGs) in various parts of the world. This is pertinent for Africa where electricity supply is often intermittent even in countries with high hydropower potential. It is expected that if Africa is to develop, it should not fail to invest in an efficient electrical system in the next 20 to 30 years.