Comparative study of off-grid and grid-connected hybrid power system: issues, future prospects and policy framework

Abstract

A sustainable energy system is of utmost importance for any significant development in any nation.This work identified some obstacles inhibiting rapid renewable energy growth in Nigeria and recommended some policy measures in overcoming them. Moreover, a comparative study of off-grid (OG) and grid-connected (GC) small hydro-solar photovoltaic-diesel hybrid system was carried out using Oyan river, Abeokuta, Nigeria as a case study. The hybrid components were modeled with and without the grid. The hydro solar resources data of the area were collected and analyzed using hybrid optimization model for electric renewable (HOMER) software. The simulation results proved that the GC hybrid power system is better than the OG hybrid power system in technical and economic terms depending on the location. This paper, therefore, proposed the use of OG hybrid power system for electrification of distant villages especially where extending the grid seems infeasible and the use of GC hybrid power system in the urban areas. The work will assist power sector stakeholders in making informed decisions towards the growth of hybrid power system technology in Nigeria.

Sustainable Energy Development in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Prospects

“…Poor access to electricity contribute to increased poverty, unemployment and retarded socioeconomic growth. A country is said to be experiencing energy poverty when its citizens cannot access quality electric power supply to carry out their daily and basic needs such as cooking and lighting (Oyedepo, 2014: Adebanji, 2021.…”

“…The required reforms towards improving Nigeria's energy were also suggested. Adebanji et al, (2021) compared issues and challenges of grid-connected and off-grid hybrid power system with respect to future prospects and policy formulation. The work identified some major barriers to sustainable energy deveolpment in Nigeria.…”

Economic and Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Solar Photovoltaic Technology in Nigeria: Rural Electrification Perspective

“…Some of the available RES in Nigeria, are solar, wind, biomass, small hydro and others. It is vital for socioeconomic and technological growth in Africa [9,10,11].…”

“…So many works have been carried out on the feasibility, risk management and viability assessment of solar PV technology for rural electrification [9,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Adebanji et al [11] did a comprehensive comparative analysis of off-grid and grid-connected hybrid system using Abeokuta, Nigeria as a case study. Issues, future prospects and policy formulation framework were also discussed.…”

Feasibility Study and Techno-Economic Analysis of Solar PV-Biomass Hybrid Power System: A Case Study of Kajola Village, Nigeria

“…Several authors have worked on RES technologies and on the application of various methodologies in solving them in almost every part of the globe, including Nigeria [10], [11], [5]. Some of them proposed the use of off-grid applications [4], [12], [13] while others proposed grid-connected solutions [10], [14].…”