2,395 research outputs found

    Energy Production Analysis and Optimization of Mini-Grid in Remote Areas: The Case Study of Habaswein, Kenya

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    Rural electrification in remote areas of developing countries has several challenges which hinder energy access to the population. For instance, the extension of the national grid to provide electricity in these areas is largely not viable. The Kenyan Government has put a target to achieve universal energy access by the year 2020. To realize this objective, the focus of the program is being shifted to establishing off-grid power stations in rural areas. Among rural areas to be electrified is Habaswein, which is a settlement in Kenya’s northeastern region without connection to the national power grid, and where Kenya Power installed a stand-alone hybrid mini-grid. Based on field observations, power generation data analysis, evaluation of the potential energy resources and simulations, this research intends to evaluate the performance of the Habaswein mini-grid and optimize the existing hybrid generation system to enhance its reliability and reduce the operation costs. The result will be a suggestion of how Kenyan rural areas could be sustainably electrified by using renewable energy based off-grid power stations. It will contribute to bridge the current research gap in this area, and it will be a vital tool to researchers, implementers and the policy makers in energy sector

    Rural electrification in central america and east africa, two case studies of sustainable microgrids

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    This paper deals with the electrification of rural villages in developing countries using Sustainable Energy Systems. The rural electrification feasibility study is done using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable PRO (HOMER PRO). The HOMER PRO energy modelling software is an optimization software improved by U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It helps in designing, comparing and optimizing the design of power generation technologies. In this paper, two rural electrification case studies are modelled and analysed using HOMER PRO. Technical and economic evaluation criteria are applied to study the feasibility of a micro-hydro plant in El Díptamo (Honduras), and a hybrid plant composed of photovoltaic module arrays, Diesel generators, and flow batteries, in a small island on Victoria Lake. For both cases, we show the results of the studies of the daily and yearly loads, of the resources available in the area and the economic evaluation of the chosen plants configuration

    Integrated design of photovoltaic power generation plant with pumped hydro storage system and agricultural facilities in Uhuelem-Amoncha African community

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    Seasonal and location dependence of renewable energy resources have limited their applications in power generation. Energy storage systems are promising solutions to the intermittence of renewable energy resources. Rural electricity grids are faced with economic sustainability challenges due to low power demand and poverty. As countries hopefully pass through various stages of development, their needs change. The electricity needs of developing countries surely differ from those of developed economies. Most of the global population without access to electricity, and all the consequences of it, is found in developing countries. Energy access is undoubtedly a significant catalyst for development. Developed countries mainly require technologies to ensure energy security, resilience, and occasionally emission control. Therefore, microgrids are emerging technologies capable of supporting the diverse needs of various stages of development. For example, a rural grid design around economic drivers like agriculture and micro industries can mitigate poverty and improve economic sustainability of rural grids. This study presents an Integrated Design of Photovoltaic Power Generation Plant with Pumped Hydro Storage System and Agricultural Facilities in Uhuelem-Amoncha African Community. The design explored the natural availability of water body in an elevated settlement area that offers a natural storage height for hydro energy storage. HOMER (Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources) software was deployed to optimize the design. The designed photovoltaic power generation plant has a nominal capacity of 221 kW. The simulated results show the power supply probability of the plant as 99.9%. The cost of energy (COE) offered by the design is 0.456 [US$/kWh] which is 82% lower than the current cost of energy in the project community based on generation through petrol generators. The System has 100% renewable energy penetration. The plant is designed to power 50 households with a daily domestic energy consumption of 4.46 [kWh] each. The plant capacity also covers the irrigation water requirement of 50 acres of corn farms. A total of 100 units of designed intelligent pest control system will also be powered by the plant. A community refrigeration scheme of 27 [m3] equivalent volume is part of the plant design load. The benefits from the irrigation, water supply, pest control and refrigeration scheme will enhance the community’s socio-economic development and sustain the investment. Quantifying the integral socio-economic and environmental benefits is a subject of a future research

    A Review of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems Based on Wind and Solar Energy: Modeling, Design and Optimization

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    In this chapter, an attempt is made to thoroughly review previous research work conducted on wind energy systems that are hybridized with a PV system. The chapter explores the most technical issues on wind drive hybrid systems and proposes possible solutions that can arise as a result of process integration in off-grid and grid-connected modes. A general introduction to wind energy, including how wind energy can be harvested, as well as recent progress and development of wind energy are discussed. With the special attention given to the issues related to the wind and photovoltaic (Wind-PV) systems. Throughout the chapter emphasis was made on modeling, design, and optimization and sensitivity analysis issues, and control strategies used to minimize risk as well as energy wastage. The reported reviewed results in this chapter will be a valuable researchers and practicing engineers involved in the design and development of wind energy systems

    Scaling up the electricity access and addressing best strategies for a sustainable operation of an existing solar PV mini-grid: A case study of Mavumira village in Mozambique

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    Access to electricity in a sustainable, affordable, and reliable manner is still a challenge, especially for rural communities in developing regions. In this study, we applied the HOMER Pro software for scaling up electricity and finding the optimum system that can satisfy the future electricity demand cost-effectively. Additionally, we analyzed the aspects that could influence the sustainability of the project, based on selected indicators, to address the best strategies for future improvements in the system performance. The main source of information for this research was the data collection in the study area through interviews with 35 individuals, including the owners of households, revenue collectors, and local governance selected based on their level of involvement and also their knowledge about the project. We focused on the solar PV mini-grid system installed in Mavumira village in Mozambique. Our results showed that among various configurations analyzed, hybrid solar PV/diesel/battery is the most appropriate system, as it presents the lowest cost of electricity (LCOE) of 0.47 /kWhcomparedtoothersolutions,suchasdiesel−onlywith0.63/kWh compared to other solutions, such as diesel-only with 0.63 /kWh. Moreover, we found that in the future, the system will require less government subsidy than today's case, as the optimized future system is 1.3 times more expensive than the expected future tariff (0.37 $/kWh). By investigating the sustainability of the project, we found that, on a scale from 1 to 5, the economic and social indicators like economic activities and safety scored high (5 and 4, respectively), meaning that they are likely to ensure the project's performance over its lifetime, compared to the technical and institutional indicators like the reliability of power supply and effectiveness of local governance, which were attributed low-performance scores (1 and 2, respectively). These last aspects need to be adequately addressed, through local skills for operation and maintenance, to avoid failure in the system

    Hybrid Energy Systems Model with the Inclusion of Energy Efficiency Measures: A Rural Application Perspective

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    way to the carbon footprint in the developing nations. Thus, the energy management initiative could assist in reducing the menace of greenhouse gas emission. Hence, the energy policy makers and planners have unanimously proposed adoption of demand side management (DSM) technique. Thus the adoption of energy efficiency technique (EET)-a DSM measures and hybrid energy system would be essential for rural electrification. This work investigates the effect of applying energy efficiency measures in rural electrification. A case study of an un-electrified rural settlement in Ibadan, Nigeria was considered. The utilization of EET techniques reduces the emission of CO2 by 62%, while the technical analysis indicates the possibility of a 100% renewable electricity production. Principally, the adoption of energy efficient techniques proved to be economically and environmentally friendly

    Feasibility and optimal design of a hybrid power system for rural electrification for a small village

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    A hybrid renewable energy system is at present accepted globally, as the best option for rural electrification particularly in areas where grid extension is infeasible. However, the need for hybrid design to be optimal in terms of operation and component selection serves as a challenge in obtaining reliable electricity at a minimum cost. In this work, the feasibility of installing a small hydropower into an existing water supply dam and the development of an optimal sizing optimization model for a small village-Itapaji, Nigeria were carried out. The developed hybrid power system (HPS) model consists of solar photovoltaic, small hydropower, battery and diesel generator. The optimal sizing of the system’s components for optimum configuration was carried out using Genetic Algorithm. The hybrid model’s results were compared with hybrid optimization model for electric renewable (HOMER) using correlation coefficient (r) and root mean square error (RMSE) to verify its validity. The results of the simulation obtained from the developed model showed better correlation coefficient (r) of 0.88 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.001 when compared to that of HOMER. This will serve as a guide for the power system engineers in the feasibility assessment and optimal design of HPS for rural electrification

    OFF-GRID OPTIMIZATION ANALYSIS OF HYBRID SOLAR-WIND POWER SYSTEM IN UTP USING HOMER SOFTWARE

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    Through this Paper a project on studying the off-grid optimization of hybrid renewable energy system using Homer software in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS will be introduced on an average of 20 modern homes located in Village 6. The government of Malaysia has expressed its interests and commitment towards developing the renewable energy sector as stated in the 9th Malaysian Plan. Solar and wind energy sources are intermittent sources of energy. They are not available on demand and necessary implementation of backup systems is to be arranged to obtain a reliable supply. The reliability and overall performance of solar and wind power plants can be improved by implementing a hybrid system where both the solar and wind plants supplement each other to further enhance their energy harvesting capability
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