Techno-Economic Analysis of Hybrid PV-Wind-Diesel Generator Swarm Grid for Rural Electrification in Tanzania

Remote, rural, and off-grid communities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), face significant challenges in securing reliable and affordable electricity. While solutions such as solar home systems (SHSs) and diesel generators (DGs) have been adopted by some individuals, their deployment is often not optimized to meet the full load demand. This study addresses this challenge by proposing a hybrid swarm grid (HSG) design that integrates photovoltaic (PV), wind energy, and diesel generators (DGs). Utilizing MATLAB/Simulink and HOMER, the HSG is modeled and optimized for a typical SSA village, incorporating real-world variables such as load demand profiles, solar irradiance, and wind patterns. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis is conducted to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system, taking into account equipment, fuel, and maintenance costs. The HSG configuration yields a Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) of €0.123 /kWh (TZS 344.4 /kWh), which is significantly lower than the average LCoE of €0.375 /kWh (TZS 1,050 /kWh) for individual systems. This highlights the potential of hybrid-based swarm grids to deliver cost-effective energy solutions, even in applications with high demand from multiple consumers. Furthermore, this research provides strong evidence for prosumers to invest in renewable-based swarm grids over conventional diesel generators, which exhibit higher Net Present Costs (NPC), LCoE, and environmental impact.