Resource Assessment and Optimal Sizing of Off-Grid Standalone Photovoltaic (SPV) System for Rural Communities in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s current population is more than 110 million people. Fifty six percent (56%) of whom live in either the rural or less urbanized areas without access to grid electricity. The use of alternative energy sources holds a promise in tackling this lack of grid electrical energy access. Standalone photovoltaic power systems, in particular, can meet the daily electrical energy demand in rural communities yet unserved by the national power grid. This paper aims to assess the solar energy potentials in the study area, and design off-grid standalone photovoltaic power systems that can provide the communities with reliable off-grid power supply. The assessment of the solar resource potential considers six widely separated areas in the Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia. Solar resource assessment showed that the annual average solar irradiation of the region is 6.46 𝐤𝐰𝐡 𝐦𝟐 ⁄ /𝐝𝐚𝐲 at normal tilt angle, 5.95 𝐤𝐰𝐡 𝐦𝟐 ⁄ /𝐝𝐚𝐲 at a latitude tilt angle, and 6 𝐤𝐰𝐡 𝐦𝟐 ⁄ /𝐝𝐚𝐲 at latitude plus 15 degree tilt angle. An estimate of typical household annual energy requirement indicated a consumption of 2,214.09 kWh. The design of the completed PV system includes sizing of system components and financial analyses. The financial analysis showed, the total initial investment cost will be 97,941 ETB, and for operation, maintenance and battery replacement requires of 61,770 ETB throughout the total life times of the system. The study demonstrated that, the designed standalone photovoltaic system yields a payback period of 13 years computed based on 3.7 ETB/kWh of energy cost. Moreover, this system will be financially feasible and, thus, encourages the use of clean energy resource of PV systems in Ethiopia