Electricity is considered a fundamental service which is highly correlated with sustainable development. Nigeria will serve as a case study that has been experiencing an energy deficit, and severely needs a strong adoption of alternative energy sources. This paper provides a detailed assessment of a grid-connected photovoltaic/wind/biogas hybrid energy system in the northern part of Nigeria using a combined Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER), Microsoft Excel, and Ganzleitliche Bilanz (GaBi) tools. They are based on techno-economic modeling and optimization as well as comparison with the same configuration in its off-grid form. Sensitivity analysis as well as an energy efficiency assessment of the proposed grid-connected system was carried out, followed by a supplementary economic benefit assessment of a system switch over and an evaluation of the impacts of life cycle emissions. A wrap-up reliability assessment based on the utility grid status quo and policy implications was also carried out. The results of the analysis for the grid-connected system showed a 3% increase in the overall energy supply, and a 68% and 85% decrease in net present costs (NPC) and levelized costs of energy (LCOE), respectively, with avoided emissions as compared to its comparable off-grid configuration. Moreover, the energy efficiency (EE) determined for the proposed grid-connected system resulted in a massive reduction in the component sizing, energy supply, and an ultimate 88% and 81% reduction in overall NPC and LCOE, respectively. The sensitivity analysis as well as the other supplementary evaluations indicated clear impacts on the different performance measures.

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Life cycle assessment is a crucial tool in evaluating systems performances for sustainability and decision-making. This paper provided environmental impact of integrating renewable energy systems to the utility-grid based on a baseline optimized energy production data from "HOMER" for renewable systems modelling of a site in northern Nigeria. The ultimate goal was to ascertain the best hybrid option(s) in sustaining the environment. Different assumptions and scenarios were modelled and simulated using Ganzleitlichen Bilanz (GaBi). Uncertainty analysis was ensured to the impact data based on pedigree-matrix and Excel-program, as well as overall policy relevance. The results of the impact categories revealed first scenario (i.e., conventional path-based) with the highest impacts on global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), human toxicity potential (HTP), and abiotic depletion potential (ADP fossils ). The lowest impacts arise in the renewable-based scenarios for all the considered categories except the Ozone-layer depletion potential Category where the highest contribution falls in the third scenario (i.e., photovoltaic (PV)/biomass-biogas system) although all values being infinitesimal. In quantitative terms, the reduction in the GWP from the highest being the first scenario to the lowest being the fourth scenario (i.e., wind/biomass-biogas system) was 96.5%. Hence, with the outstanding contributions of the hybrid renewable systems, adopting them especially the lowest impact scenarios with expansions is relevant for environmental sustainability.Sustainability 2019, 11, 5889 2 of 24 human survival and their living standard level strongly depend on their environment either directly or indirectly. Hence it is obvious as to how the three pillars are strongly intertwined.In ascertaining the full sustainable impact of a system or a product, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a key. Therefore, LCA basically entails holistic evaluations of a material, product, process, or service on its environmental impacts over its whole life cycle, that is from cradle to death [3]. There are fundamentally two basic approaches to the LCA, that is attributional, describing the physical flows to and from the LCA system, and the consequential approach describing the environmental consequences of possible future altering of physical flows from and to an LCA system [4]. Different stages are thus necessary in realizing the LCA, namely the goal and scope definition, inventory analyses, impact assessment and overall interpretations in accordance with the ISO 14040 [5]. On the basis of the brief description, many software packages with extensive databases comprising of inventory data sets in a wide range of areas necessary and sufficient for conducting any LCA have been developed. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified and vividly described around 25 software packages each having different features but similar concepts; however, the most commonly used ones are the Ganzheitliche Bilanz (GaBi), System for Integrat...

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Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 11th Int. Conf. on Applied Energy (ICAE2019).