Design and Techno-economic Evaluation of Solar PV power Supply for Off-Grid Communities in Ethiopia: The Case of Indode Village
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Date
2020-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Now a day, alternative energy supply has become compulsory to improve the life standard and
increase the development of rural areas which are living without modern electricity and still
dependent on traditional fuels. Usage of these traditional fuels is hazardous to human health and
the environment. Solar energy is one of the alternative energy sources to overcome this problem.
This thesis study has presented off-grid solar PV system to power Indode village which has 322
households and 1,171 people. Based on the village’s load demand and metrological data, the
system components are sized and simulation was done using PVsyst software to optimize the
system technically and assure its economic viability.
The total numbers of common kitchens to serve Indode’s community are 10 which consume the
major part of the solar power produced. In addition to powering the kitchens, the system is
designed to power the health center, the schools, the administration offices and other business
shops. The total installation cost of the project is 21,328,100.00 Birr with total number of 1028
batteries, 1812 solar modules, and 63 inverters are required for the system.
The Net Present Value, the Return on Investment and the Payback period of the project are
determined to be 84,730,997.18 Birr, 397.3%, 9.3 years, respectively. Considering a 25-year
project life span, the economic indicators show that the solar PV system is a viable source of
electricity in Indode’s village and can be considered as applicable to other off-grid communities
in the country.
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Keywords
Stand-alone PV system, Off-grid, Storage batteries, Inverters, Performance ratio, Net Present Value, Payback period, Return on Investment