Exploring Rural Electrification Possibilities in Southern Nigeria

In many rural areas of developing countries like Nigeria, the national electricity grid is still out of reach. For these communities, a hybrid power generation approach that mixes locally sourced renewable resources like solar energy with diesel generators is seen as a smart and eco-friendly solution. However, there’s a lack of detailed techno-economic studies on PV– diesel hybrid systems for off-grid electrification in Nigeria. This study aims to pinpoint the best system configurations for remote communities in Nigeria. To do this, we focused on three off-grid rural communities Azungwu, Agidiase, and Agidiehe situated in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, as our case studies. We looked at various system setups, including standalone options (solar-only, and diesel-only) as well as hybrid combinations. By utilizing meteorological data, community load profiles, diesel fuel prices, and component costs, we employed the HOMER software tool to find the most suitable system sizes across different scenarios, all while aiming to minimize the net present cost (NPC). We also evaluated the chosen configurations using other economic indicators like initial investment cost, total annual operating cost, and cost of energy (COE), along with generation shares and CO₂ emission levels. The results we've gathered show that, across all the agencies we looked into, the hybrid solar–diesel system stands out as the most reliable option. For this scenario, the best configuration yields a net present cost (NPC) of NGN 2,668,052. (cost of energy: 0.563 NGN/kWh) for Azungwu, NGN 2,739,955 (cost of energy: 0.443 NGN/kWh) for Agidiase, and NGN 214,156 (cost of energy: 0.737 NGN/kWh) for Agidiehe. Additionally, when we apply these optimal setups, we find that Azungwu and Agidiase achieve a renewable energy fraction of 88% of their total generation, while Agidiehe reaches an impressive 95%. In terms of CO2 emissions, the optimal system for Azungwu produces only 6% of what a diesel-only unit would emit, with Agidiase at 16% and Agidiehe at 13%. The configurations detailed in this paper can serve as a valuable guide for designing cost-effective renewable electrification systems for these communities and other villages with similar needs and environmental conditions.