User acceptance of diesel/PV hybrid system in an island community

This paper presents the results of a study conducted at a rural (island) community to understand the role of PV hybrid system installed on an island. Until 2004, most islanders had installed diesel generators in their homes to generate electricity, which was directly supplied to appliances or stored in the batteries for later use. A field survey was carried out to study the user satisfaction of the PV hybrid system in the island community. The attitude of islanders to the PV hybrid system was mostly positive. The islanders can use more electricity, the supply of which can meet the demand. A comparison of pollutions before and after installation of the PV hybrid system was made along with the interviews with the users. The data show that the users are highly satisfied with the PV hybrid system which can reduce environmental impact, especially air and noise pollutions. New opportunities as a result of access to electric service include studying and reading at night that were not possible earlier. All the islanders use the PV hybrid system and more importantly, no one found that the system made their life worse as compared to the earlier state of affairs.     

Performance analysis of hybrid photovoltaic/diesel energy system under Malaysian conditions

Standalone diesel generating system utilized in remote areas has long been practiced in Malaysia. Due to highly fluctuating diesel price, such a system is seemed to be uneconomical, especially in the long run if the supply of electricity for rural areas solely depends on such diesel generating system. This paper would analyze the potential use of hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/diesel energy system in remote locations. National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) HOMER software was used to perform the techno-economic feasibility of hybrid PV/diesel energy system. The investigation demonstrated the impact of PV penetration and battery storage on energy production, cost of energy and number of operational hours of diesel generators for the given hybrid configurations. Emphasis has also been placed on percentage fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions of different hybrid systems. At the end of this paper, suitability of utilizing hybrid PV/diesel energy system over standalone diesel system would be discussed mainly based on different solar irradiances and diesel prices.     

Sustainable electricity generation for rural and peri-urban populations of sub-Saharan Africa: The “flexy-energy” concept

Access to energy is known as a key issue for poverty reduction. Electrification rate of sub-Saharan countries is one of the lowest among the developing countries. However, this part of the world has natural energy resources that could help raising its access to energy, then its economic development. An original “flexy-energy” concept of hybrid solar PV/diesel/biofuel power plant, without battery storage, is performed in this paper. This concept is developed in order to not only make access to energy possible for rural and peri-urban populations in Africa (by reducing the electricity generation cost) but also to make the electricity production sustainable in these areas. For landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, this concept could help them reducing their electricity bill (then their fuel consumption) and accelerate their rural and peri-urban electrification coverage.     

Review and comparison study of hybrid diesel/solar/hydro/fuel cell energy schemes for a rural ICT Telecenter

In this paper, the rural electrification study of an ICT Telecenter in particular reference to the Kelabit Highland of Sarawak is presented. The use of diesel generator and its associated environmental implications is first discussed. The cost-effectiveness of the present solar PV system and the solar/hydro schemes for rural electrification of the rural ICT are evaluated employing the HOMER simulation software, considering sustainability factors such as system efficiency, weather, fuel costs, operating and maintaining costs. Subsequently, simple novel Hybrid Energy Performance Equations and the associated Energy Performance Curves are derived and introduced, respectively, which provide a visualization model, simplifying hybrid system analysis. Results obtained in this study have shown that combined power schemes is more sustainable in terms of supplying electricity to the Telecenter compared to a stand-alone PV system due to prolong cloudy and dense haze periods. The hybrid systems can have efficiency range of ∼15%–75% compared to PV stand-alone of only ∼10%, indicating hybrid systems are more reliable and sustainable – in minimizing both energy losses and excess energy.     

Electrification using solar photovoltaic systems in Nepal

Historically, the rural population of Nepal has been meeting their energy needs from traditional sources like fuel wood and other biomass resources. Only about 44% of the total population has access to grid electricity. Because of country’s rough and mountainous topography, high cost of grid extension, and low and scattered population density, constructing some big power plants (e.g. large hydropower) can not meet the electricity needs of all people, especially those living in rural areas. Distributed generation of electricity, using environment friendly solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, might be one of the reliable alternatives for urban as well as rural electrification. This article begins with a general overview of energy resources in Nepal. Present status and perspectives of solar PV sector have also been discussed. Benefit cost and breakeven analyses of solar PV systems in Nepalese urban areas have been carried out. The breakeven year has been calculated between 2027 and 2036 for PV systems with system life time between 40 and 25 years, respectively. It has been concluded that the solar PV systems are not the economic solutions for grid connected urban areas in Nepal. On the other hand, this article concludes that the rural electrification projects should not be decided on the basis of mere monetary benefits, rather many social aspects should be considered, and in this case, there are not convincing alternatives to solar PV systems for electrification in many rural villages in Nepal.     

Solar lanterns or solar home lighting systems – Community preferences in East Timor

Access to electrification in rural areas of East Timor is extremely limited with as few as 5% of rural households connected to electricity. The government of East Timor intends to increase rural access to electricity significantly in the coming decade. The introduction of small PV systems is envisaged for many households in the most remote areas. Several agencies have piloted the introduction of small solar home systems (SHS) and solar lanterns. In the Railaco sub-district of East Timor, some 1000 households have experience of using either SHS and/or solar lanterns and are in a unique position to indicate a preference regarding these forms of PV lighting technology. This paper reports on a survey of 76 households in Railaco investigating experience with PV lighting systems. Results of the survey indicate a strong preference by users for SHS rather than lanterns. The preference for SHS arose from a range of factors including: a perception of better light quality; ability to illuminate the whole house; reduced risk of damage to the PV equipment; and longer duration of nightly operation. The research indicates that where a single PV lighting system is provided, users are likely to prefer SHS to solar lanterns.     

Rural photovoltaic electrification program in Jordan

The photovoltaic (PV) technology potential for Jordan is high, based on the fact that many remote and isolated sites are located far away from the national electric grid and cannot be connected to it in the near future. Therefore, a rural PV electrification program—driven by quality-of-life improvement for the users—was launched in Jordan in 2002. An important element of the program is the access of low-income, rural consumers to essential electricity.This paper discusses and analyses the first stage of this program that is the electrification of a remote and small Jordanian village. Nine PV solar home systems (SHS) were installed in this village in order to provide lighting and power for radio and television.Feed back from the users of the installed systems indicates that the PV based electricity has been providing very satisfactory service to the consumers, and that it is an appropriate technology suitable for dissemination in the rural Jordanian areas.     

Demonstration of PV micro-utility system for rural electrification

Many rural market places in Bangladesh rely on inefficient and expensive fossil fuel based lighting. Photovoltaic (PV) based electricity is an interesting option to provide quality light and better service in these situations. A PV based micro-utility system was initiated in a rural market in Bangladesh in October 1999. Twenty one shop owners were provided electricity for 5 h a day on fee-for-service basis, and paid a tariff daily. A local operator cum technician was trained to take care of the system and in charge of repair, maintenance and tariff collection. Feedback from the users of the system indicates that PV based electricity has been providing very satisfactory service to the consumers. The success of this type of PV dissemination model has been due to the users’ willingness to pay a daily tariff, clear agreements with the Bazaar Management Committee and users, and operator training. The model proved to be successful and two more rural markets showed interest in this approach of rural electrification. This is likely to succeed in other countries with similar socio-economic conditions.     

Techno-economic analysis of photovoltaic pumping system for rural water supply in Ethiopia

The diesel-driven water pumping systems have a great impact on rural water supply in Ethiopia in past decades due to the lack of access to grid electricity and associated capital intensive nature of grid expansion to rural areas. However, the requirement of diesel generator for frequent maintenance and soaring fuel cost encourages the government and concerned bodies such as NGO to go for most reliable and cost-effective alternatives. In this paper, direct coupled photovoltaic (PV) pumping system has been designed for hypothetical rural village in southern region near Arba Minch (latitude 6.02^″N, Longitude 37.54^″E) to show techno-economic feasibility of the technology. The result shows that direct coupled PV pumping system is cost-effective in terms of life cycle cost and technologically feasible for rural water supply by virtue of its very low running cost and high reliability of the component and the system as a whole.     

Hybrid application of biogas and solar resources to fulfill household energy needs: A potentially viable option in rural areas of developing countries

The absence of clean cooking facilities and electricity means billions of rural people are deprived of much needed socioeconomic development. Livestock residues (dung) and solar radiation are two renewable energy resources that are abundantly available in rural areas of developing countries. Although it is not feasible for these two resources separately to meet both thermal (cooking) and electricity demands, hybrid applications have not been given due attention. To facilitate integrating these two resources in rural energy planning, and to promote their dissemination through hybrid applications, it is necessary to evaluate their economic merits, and assess their ability to deal with the demands. In this paper, we examine the techno-economic performance of hybrid applications of these two resources by applying a simulation technique using the HOMER tool, and by giving derived cost-saving equations. We also quantify the monetary savings from replacing traditional fuels, and perform a sensitivity analysis on a number of variables (e.g. dung cost, fuelwood cost) to see how they affect the performance of different energy supply alternatives. Furthermore, we examine the practical applicability of the biogas system in the households through a structured survey of 72 ongoing household biogas plants. This study finds that households that have between three and six cattle can potentially meet their cooking and electricity loads through a hybrid implementation of biogas and solar PV (Photovoltaic) system. By replacing conventional fuels households can achieve savings that are more than the total annualized costs incurred for installing new services.     

风/光混合发电系统的优化方法综述

为了从混合发电系统中获得足够经济可靠的电力,其优化方法的选择非常关键,分析了风/光混合发电系统的结构,系统梳理了国外风/光混合发电系统的软件优化法、传统优化方法、人工智能法等优化方法,并对混合发电系统的各种优化方法进行了总结及展望,可为国内风/光混合发电系统优化问题的合理解决提供参考。     

Evaluating the potential of small-scale renewable energy options to meet rural livelihoods needs: A GIS- and lifecycle cost-based assessment of Western China's options

The economics and livelihoods impacts of stand-alone, small-scale (less than 2 kW) renewable energy technologies for rural electrification are assessed using a representative sample of 531 rural households in three provinces of Western China. Over 20 small wind, photovoltaic (PV) and wind–PV hybrid configurations were evaluated for their potential to meet local electricity needs. The assessment integrates lifecycle costing and geographic information system (GIS) methods in order to provide a comprehensive resource, economic, technological and livelihoods assessment. The results of the analysis indicate that off-grid renewable energy technologies can provide cost-effective and reliable alternatives to conventional generator sets in addressing rural livelihoods energy requirements. Findings also demonstrate the existence of a sizeable market potential for stand-alone renewable energy systems in Western China. In support of market development for these technologies, policy recommendations are provided.     

Use of renewable sources of energy in Mexico case: San Antonio AguaBendita

This paper presents a project undertaken in Mexico to electrify the remote village of San Antonio Agua Bendita (SAAB) using a custom designed hybrid power system. The hybrid power system will provide grid quality electricity to this community which would otherwise not have been electrified via traditional distribution lines. The hybrid power system was designed to electrify the entire community, incorporate multiple sources of renewable power with on-demand power, operate autonomously, and be cost effective in dollars per watt of electricity generated over the system's usable life. A major factor in the success of this project is the use of renewable energy for economic development and community partnership. Many rural electrification projects have provided power for domestic use but few have successfully provided power to improve the economic condition of the people served by the system. The SAAB hybrid avoids this pitfall by providing 120 VAC power at 60 Hz to anticipated industrial loads in the village, as well as providing grid quality power for domestic use. The system consists of the following modules: a controller, battery storage, a PV array, two 1O kW wind turbines, a diesel generator, a micro-hydro generater, power output control     

On the policy of photovoltaic and diesel generation mix for an off-grid site: East Malaysian perspectives

The recent policy of the Malaysian government to promote use of renewable, especially photovoltaic, energy has warranted a feasibility study on supplementing diesel generation in off-grid sites by solar (photovoltaic) electricity to be done in the Malaysian context. This paper addresses the technical viability and economy of using a photovoltaic (PV) system to supplement an existing diesel generator-based supply in a typical secondary school located at an interior, off-grid and rural site of Sarawak state in East Malaysia. The findings of the present study, would therefore, help the Government with a realistic picture of the techno-economic aspects in implementing its vision regarding renewable energy. Presently, a 150 kW diesel generator supplies electricity to the considered school. The study required simulation of the load sharing pattern of the PV–diesel hybrid system taking into account varied weather and insolation conditions of the chosen site. Also, the purchase price as well as the size of the supplementing PV system that would give the lowest life cycle cost have been determined. The PV system was considered in both forms, i.e. with and without battery back-up. It has been found that if the market price for purchasing a PV system would drop to RM 11.02/W_P (Ringgit Malaysia; US$1.00=RM 3.80) i.e. US$2.90/W_P, a 35 kW_P PV system without battery back-up in conjunction with the diesel generator would be able to supply the selected school’s demand at a marginally lower energy cost than the existing diesel-only system. With continuous research and developments, PV price would keep falling in the near future so that a PV–diesel hybrid system with a higher sized PV is expected to be economically more viable. The reported feasibility study can serve as a guideline for making similar studies in the context of another off-grid site.     

Techno-economic analysis of the integration of hydrogen energy technologies in renewable energy-based stand-alone power systems

A large number of stand-alone power systems that are based on fossil fuel or renewable energy (RE) based, are installed all over Europe. Such systems, often comprising photovoltaics (PV) and/or diesel generators provide power to communities or technical installations, which do not have access to the local or national electricity grid. The replacement of conventional technologies such as diesel generators and/or batteries with hydrogen technologies, including fuel cells in an existing PV-diesel stand-alone power system providing electricity to a remote community was simulated and optimised, using the hybrid optimisation model for electric renewables (HOMER) simulation tool. A techno-economic analysis of the existing hybrid stand-alone power system and the optimised hydrogen-based system was also conducted. The results of the analyses showed that the replacement of fossil fuel based gensets with hydrogen technologies is technically feasible, but still not economically viable, unless significant reductions in the cost of hydrogen technologies are made in the future.     

Assessment and evaluation of PV based decentralized rural electrification: An overview

The challenges of providing electricity to rural households are manifold. Ever increasing demand–supply gap, crumbling electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, high cost of delivered electricity are a few of these. Use of renewable energy technologies for meeting basic energy needs of rural communities has been promoted by the Governments world over for many decades. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is one of the first among several renewable energy technologies that was adopted globally as well as in India for meeting basic electricity needs of rural areas that are not connected to the grid. This paper attempts at reviewing and analyzing PV literature pertaining to decentralized rural electrification into two main categories—(1) experiences from rural electrification and technology demonstration programmes covering barriers and challenges in marketing and dissemination; institutional and financing approaches; and productive and economic applications, (2) techno-economic aspects including system design methodologies and approaches; performance evaluation and monitoring; techno-economic comparison of various systems; and environmental implications and life cycle analysis. The paper discusses the emerging trends in its concluding remarks.     

Delivering developing country growth: A new mechanistic approach driven by the photovoltaic industry

Energy security, climate change and economic crises are currently dominating the attention of the world. It is also well known that access to energy is a crucial and enabling mechanism for development. In particular, the provision of electricity in rural settings has tremendous impact on well being, education and health, especially in poorer regions in the world. In today's climate, we should, therefore, not forget the plight of those less well-off, especially in the near term due to a likely rise in protectionist policies of developed nations. In an effort to bring a balance, we need to be more diligent in our understanding of the needy, by bringing in clear objectives for development coupled with social responsibility that are likely to generate both stability and economic growth globally. Photovoltaics (PV), the conversion of sunlight to electricity, has over many decades been recognised as one of the most flexible technologies that could best benefit people in rural and deprived areas around the world. Unlike the utilisation of PV in buildings which is mainly a response to feed-in tariffs in developed countries, rural electrification offers a unique opportunity as it is less complex when compared to other renewables, but will require high levels of quality control. After the major strides made by the PV industry, it is now time for this now highly developed PV industry not only to call the shots in initiating a new approach of “PV for Development” but also to entice such entities as the G8, the UN, the EU and the World Bank to contribute to a major activity to provide electricity for the poor. This article attempts to convey a new approach to establishing such an activity. The analysis starts by considering a PV industry contribution of “one watt per kWp” manufactured to an industry trust. When combined with double contributions from the G8 countries, this will result in the provision of around 3–10 GWp of PV driven electricity for rural areas by 2020. It could be activated and owned by the PV industry alone resulting from 3.5 GWp by 2020. Receiving global approval by many of the developed countries and international institutions is more than likely to double this figure.     

Assessment of economic viability for PV/wind/diesel hybrid energy system in southern Peninsular Malaysia

This paper analyzed the potential implementation of hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/wind turbine/diesel system in southern city of Malaysia, Johor Bahru. HOMER (hybrid optimization model for electric renewable) simulation software was used to determine the technical feasibility of the system and to perform the economical analysis of the system. There were seven different system configurations, namely stand-alone diesel system, hybrid PV–diesel system with and without battery storage element, hybrid wind–diesel system with and without battery storageelement, PV–wind–diesel system with and without storage element, will be studied and analyzed. The simulations will be focused on the net present costs, cost of energy, excess electricity produced and the reduction of CO₂ emission for the given hybrid configurations. At the end of this paper, PV–diesel system with battery storage element, PV–wind–diesel system with battery storage element and the stand-alone diesel system were analyzed based on high price of diesel.     

Optimization and sensitivity analysis of a PV/Wind/Diesel hybrid system for a rural community in the pacific

This work looks at the feasibility of a standalone hybrid power generation system for providing power to a rural community in the Pacific Islands. The optimization and sensitivity analysis of a proposed PV/Wind/Diesel hybrid System is performed together with economic analysis. We have used HOMER, a sizing and optimization tool for distributed power system, developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for our analysis. The sensitivity analysis was done using wind speed data and diesel price as variables. An Ice storage facility having a corrected mean daily load of 60 kWh/day was considered as the stand-alone load. The life cycle cost analysis was done for a number of scenarios with different renewable energy contribution to the total electricity produced.     

Operational experience of a residential photovoltaic hybrid system

This paper reports on the operational experience acquired with a photovoltaic (PV) hybrid system installed as a line extension alternative at a residence located in northern New York State. The system includes an 850 W PV array, 25 kWh worth of battery storage, and a 4 kW propane generator. The paper features a detailed analysis of the energy flows through the system and quantifies all losses caused by battery storage round-trip, rectifier and inverter conversions, and non-optimum operation of the generator and of the PV array. The paper also analyzes the evolution of end-use electricity consumption since the installation of the PV hybrid system.