Techno-economic Evaluation of Grid-connected Hybrid Energy System Based on Run-of-River and Solar Energy Plants for Sustainable Electrification of a Rural Community

The connection between energy access and greenhouse gas emissions is an issue that continues to garner attention. Presently, hundreds of millions of people globally do not have access to sufficient electricity, and those who do, rely on expensive fossil resources characterized by greenhouse gases. A viable solution is to explore renewable energy (RE) sources to satisfy the electricity demand and curtail the effect of greenhouse gases. This study performed a techno-economic analysis of a grid-connected hybrid RE system that included micro-hydro and solar photovoltaic power plants for a Nigerian rural community. The optimal system, according to the analysis done with HOMER software tool, has an overall NPC, operating cost, and LCOE of $3,202,139.00, $37,515.81, and $0.06053/kWh, respectively. A 98.1 kW micro-hydro turbine, a 150 kW converter, 100 kW solar panels, and 704 battery strings constitute the system components. An annual emission of 4,483 kg of CO2, 0.356 kg of CO, 22.5 kg of SO2, 4.86 kg of NO, and 1.66 kg of particulate matter will be released into the atmosphere. The implementation of this hybrid power system will not only increase access to energy but also help lessen greenhouse gas emissions.