Hybrid power system for off-grid communities: Techno-economic and energy mix analysis

Presently, about 20 percent of the world population lack adequate access to modern electrical energy with about 85% of this number residing in rural settlements across sub-Sahara Africa. This has invariably increased poverty level. This paper highlights the relationship between access to energy and poverty prevalence in developing countries. This study suggests the adoption of off-grid photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine, and diesel generator for electricity generation as a solution to alleviate energy poverty. Different energy demand scenarios of hypothetical village households are studied. HOMER software is used for modeling and simulation of the hybrid renewable energy systems and the cost. The paper provides recommendations on overcoming renewable energy adoption barriers and also suggests areas for future studies.