Improving the performance of PV/diesel microgrids via integration of a battery energy storage system: the case of Bilgo village in Burkina Faso

Abstract Background PV/diesel microgrids are getting more popular in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where the national grid is often unavailable. Most of the time, for economic purposes, these hybrid PV/diesel power plants in rural areas do not include any storage system. This is the case in the Bilgo village in Burkina Faso, where a PV/diesel microgrid without any battery storage system has been set up. This power plant is composed of three diesel generators operating in parallel (two of 16 kW and one of 24 kW), coupled with a photovoltaic field of 30 kWp. It was observed that for such power plants, the grid management is not always efficient due to constantly fluctuating solar output and loads. This inconsistency in energy output raises the question if integrating battery energy storage systems could improve the grid's performance. While many studies in the literature focus on hybrid energy systems, only a few of them have tackled the optimization of existing and operational systems. Methods This study investigated three scenarios based on the existing microgrid's characteristics: conventional standalone diesel generators, PV/diesel without battery storage and PV/diesel with a battery storage system which are the main technologies used for off-grid rural electrification in Burkina Faso. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) was used to assess the economic performance of each scenario, and the calculations were made using the HOMER software. Results It was found that the best among the scenarios considered is the PV/diesel/battery configuration which has the lowest LCOE of US$ 0.524/kWh. The battery storage system for the optimal configuration has a capacity of 182 kWh with about 8 h of autonomy. Conclusions It can be inferred from this study that a storage unit is necessary for an optimal management of a PV/diesel microgrid. Indeed, the storage unit significantly reduces the operating and maintenance costs associated with running diesel generators, as well as the excess electricity. The storage system also allows for a greater reduction in CO 2 emissions compared to systems without storage.