Economic feasibility of solar PV system for rural electrification in Sub-Sahara Africa

Date

2018-02-01

Author

Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka
Oranekwu-Okoye, Blessing Chioma

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

284
views

0
downloads

The future of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as a viable alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based resources seem promising with the rapid decline in the cost over the last decade. Notwithstanding, PV technology is yet to make a meaningful contribution in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) where the need for energy is deemed critical. The reason being that the technology is perceived by policymakers in SSA not to be capable of functioning profitably as an independent economic unit that requires project financing. Regrettably, the widely utilized levelized cost of energy (LCOE) in the literature for PV economic assessment only provides a benchmark to assess grid parity. A detailed economic assessment that includes risks and actual capital financing method is urgently needed to encourage potential investors and foster adoption. In this paper, a generalized economic model is developed to assess the cost-benefit of off-grid PV system. The developed method is demonstrated on a case study of rural Gusau, Nigeria. The results show that the feasibility of the proposed system is highly location dependent. Overall, conclusion is drawn that PV technology is eligible for project financing as it can repay its loan within the stipulated time considering the current infrastructure and energy policies in Nigeria.

Subject Keywords

Photovoltaic system, Battery storage, Cost-benefit analysis, Cash flow feasibility, Sub-Sahara Africa, Nigeria

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/65023

Collections

Engineering, Book / Book chapter

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

Optimal sizing of stand-alone photovoltaic systems in residential buildings Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka; Solyali, Oguz (2017-05-01) Solar photovoltaic (PV) system is one of the matured solar-to-electricity conversion technologies with a great potential for residential applications. For wider adoption of PV systems, there is a need for an accurate sizing and economic assessment tool to inform decision makers. In this study, we propose a new optimization model based on integer programming for the adoption of stand-alone PV systems in the residential sector. The proposed model not only determines the optimal number of PV modules and batter...
MONITORING, ANALYSIS, AND SIMULATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC HEAT ISLAND EFFECT IN TURKEY: SEKBANDEMIRLI SOLAR POWER PLANT FIELD STUDY Demirezen, Emre; Akınoğlu, Bülent Gültekin; Özden, Talat; Department of Earth System Science (2022-1-18) Today, solar energy conversion technologies, which are among the methods of obtaining renewable, sustainable, and clean energy, show rapid development. One of the most common technologies is Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant (PVPP), which provides electricity by direct conversion of the energy carried by the sunlight (or daylight). These power plants are socially accepted in environmentally-friendly and economical energy production. However, there are some debates about the environmental impacts of these power...
Proposal of a Novel Gravity-Fed, Particle-Filled Solar Receiver JOHNSON, Evan; Baker, Derek Keıth; Tarı, İlker (2016-10-14) Solar Thermal Electricity power plants utilizing solid particles as heat transfer and storage media have been proposed by several research groups, with studies citing benefits of increased thermal efficiency and lower cost. Several types of solid particle receivers have been proposed, with leading designs consisting of particles falling or suspended in air. A new solid particle receiver is proposed here, consisting of a receiver fully packed with particles flowing downward with gravity. Particle flow rate i...
Fabrication and characterization of single crystalline silicon solar cells Es, Fırat; Turan, Raşit; Department of Physics (2010) The electricity generation using photovoltaic (PV) solar cells is the most viable and promising alternative to the fossil-fuel based technologies which are threatening world’s climate. PV cells directly convert solar energy into electrical power through an absorption process that takes place in a solid state device which is commonly fabricated using semiconductors. These devices can be employed for many years with almost no degradation and maintenance. PV technologies have been diversified in different dire...
Numerical simulations of wind turbine wake interactions using actuator line and les models Önel, Hüseyin Can; Tuncer, İsmail Hakkı; Department of Aerospace Engineering (2019) Wind is one of the most promising renewable energy resources of the future. After years of optimization studies, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines shine out as the most efficient type and have been the only model used in large scale commercial wind farms. Layout planning plays an important role in getting the most power out of a wind farm as much as turbine blade design. Most important parameter in this planning phase is the inevitable wake generated by rotors and its impact on other wind turbines which results...

Citation Formats

C. O. Okoye and B. C. Oranekwu-Okoye, Economic feasibility of solar PV system for rural electrification in Sub-Sahara Africa. 2018, p. 2547.