Feasibility Study of Standalone PV/Wind/Biogas Hybrid System for Rural Electrification: (A Case Study of Midrwa Community in Adigrat District)
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Date
2014-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
So far, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation utility company uses extension of grids and installation of diesel generators as an option for the electrification of rural villages. Grid expansion to such areas is either financially not viable or practically not feasible as these locations are geographically isolated, sparsely populated and have a very low power demand. The use of diesel generators has also harmful effect on the environment in addition to their higher cost of fuel, maintenance and operation. Consequently, rural areas are dependent on local solutions for electricity supply. These areas have been using Kerosene for lighting, diesel for milling and pumping, traditional biomass as source of energy for cooking and dry cells for radio and tape recorders. However, the current increase in oil price and the negative effects of fossil fuels on the environment motivates to search for other alternative (preferably renewable) sources of energy.
In this work, feasibility of PV-Wind-Biogas hybrid system with battery storage as a backup is studied to electrify the village in Adigrat district. It also compares the cost of the hybrid system against the cost required to electrify the village by extending the grid. The feasibility of this paper is analyzed using HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electrical Renewable) software. The data for biogas energy potential estimation is obtained from the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) of Ethiopia. The paper utilized meteorological data obtained from National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia, NASA and SWERA to estimate the solar and wind energy potentials. The data needed for calculating the cost of extending the grid is taken from Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, and is analyzed using interlinked Microsoft office excel spread sheet prepared by Universal Electric Access Program. Electric load estimation and forecasting for the basic needs of the community, such as, for lighting, radio, television, water pumps and flour mills, is done. Primary school and health clinic are also considered for the community. The simulation results show many feasible hybrid system combinations having a cost of energy less than $0.295/kWh which is much lower than diesel generators and previously studied PV/Wind hybrid systems. The hybrid energy system optimized by HOMER for this village is cost effective as compared to the cost required to electrifying the village. The breakeven grid extension distance is found to be 14.9kms, which implies that this hybrid energy system is cost-effective for areas greater than the breakeven distance Keywords: national grid, wind energy, photovoltaic, biogas energy, HOMER, PV-wind-biogas hybrid, standalone system, breakeven grid extension distance
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Keywords
National Grid, Wind Energy, Photovoltaic, Biogas Energy, Homer, Pv-Wind-Biogas Hybrid, Standalone System, Breakeven Grid Extension Distance