The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Jamaica Country Office, hosted a webinar on Mesh Grid Systems for Innovative Rural Energy Communities (MIREC) on 15 December 2025. The virtual event brought together over 40 energy experts, policymakers, and development practitioners to explore resilient, low-emission rural energy planning. The session focused on a globally applicable simulation tool that supports the design and optimization of decentralized hybrid energy systems combining solar photovoltaic (PV) power and biogas, linked through mesh grid networks. While Jamaica served as the primary case study, the tool can be adapted for rural contexts worldwide.
Assistant FAO Representative Roslyn Jackson-Richards highlighted the significance of the MIREC initiative in strengthening Jamaica’s capacity to develop affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy systems for rural communities. She noted that the platform not only supports farmers who operate on the margins of the national grid but also converts challenges, such as underutilized poultry and organic waste, into renewable energy assets that benefit entire communities. The recent impact of Hurricane Melissa underscored the vulnerability of rural communities to power disruptions, particularly for farmers reliant on electricity for irrigation, storage, and processing.
The MIREC tool allows users to design, size, and assess decentralized hybrid energy systems before committing to physical infrastructure investments. By using local data, the platform can simulate energy demand, optimize system configurations, estimate costs, and evaluate sustainability indicators, including emissions reductions and renewable energy shares. Technical specialists from FAO’s Energy Division demonstrated how the tool integrates solar PV, biogas from agricultural waste, and battery storage into low-voltage mesh grids, enabling energy sharing between clustered communities. This approach improves reliability, reduces dependence on fossil fuels, and lowers long-term energy costs.
A live demonstration showcased the tool’s interface, analytical capabilities, and practical applications for planners and field teams. Project Coordinator Stacy Rose shared insights from data collection in St. Catherine and Clarendon, illustrating how local data can be transformed into energy planning scenarios tailored to rural communities. Case studies from Kitson Town, Spring Village, Williams Well, and Four Paths demonstrated the feasibility of mesh grid systems in reducing outages, improving resilience, and supporting agricultural enterprises.
Although the MIREC platform was developed with Jamaica’s rural communities in mind, it is designed for global applicability. The tool offers a scalable solution for rural areas worldwide, providing a pathway to strengthen energy resilience, optimize renewable energy integration, and support sustainable development in similar contexts across the Caribbean and beyond.
