System and Cost Analysis of Stand-Alone Solar Home System Applied to a Developing Country

Abstract

Power is one of the key requirements for the development of economies and upgrading of standards of living of developing countries. Countries such as Bangladesh depend largely on fossil fuels such as diesel fuel and natural gas to produce the main proportion of their electricity. However, this country’s combination of limited natural gas reserves high fuel prices and escalating costs of transmission and distribution lines has greatly increased the unit cost of electricity generation and it is becoming difficult for customers to pay for electricity. On the other hand, burning fuel causes environmental pollution that leads to global warming which is ultimately responsible for climate change and its devastating consequences. In this study, we have recommended a stand-alone system for the traditional consumption of domestic electric use at residential units in Bangladesh. We have shown a comparison of using the stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) system with the traditional grid connection. Although the initial set-up cost is high, it becomes profitable as people are supplied with electricity, which is being generated from PV as a result minimizing the energy cost from the grid, and in addition, they can later make savings from this system. This paper, therefore, aims at determining the optimum size of the rooftop solar home system that will fulfil all the criteria for powering up electrical appliances at an affordable price. Comparative analysis of both energy systems based on the cost calculation has been performed by means of the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Renewables (HOMER) software. The validity of this proposal and its usefulness is also analysed.

Assessment of the Viability of Standalone Photovoltaic Systems for Rural Households in Kathiani, Machakos County, Kenya

“…The data is essential for the analysis of energy demand as well as determination of load profiles. Like many rural and Peri-Urban areas in Kenya, family houses in Kathiani are of averagely low energy demand with between 4-8 persons over 50m 2 .…”

“…This is important for effective sizing and installation of the solar PV systems. The software Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER 2.68 beta) is also widely used by researchers in many countries as a modeling tool for optimal sizing simulation of micro-grids on the advantages of rooftop solar off grid system [2]. HOMER is an essential tool in specifying optimal size of equipment taking into account meteorological and geographical data of the study location.…”

Selection of a Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for a Low-Income Household

“…Oyedepo et al [11] X X Yahya et al [20] X X X Chowdhury et al [21] X X X Zahboune et al [14] X X Fazelpour et al [15] X X X Yilmaz, and Dincer [16] X X X Al Garnia [12] X X Mandal et al [22] X X X Sen and Bhattacharyya [23] X X X Diemuodeke et al [18] X X X Rezzouk and Mellit [19] X X X Akinbulire et al [2] X X X X Farahi and Fazelpour [24] X X X Goudarzi et al [25] X X X Babatunde et al [3] X X X Diemuodeke et al [26] X X X X Ighravwe et al [27] X X X Akinyele et al [28] X X X X Adaramola et al [29] X X Ajayi et al [30] X X Ali et al [31] X X X Amadou et al [32] X X X Tae et al [33] X X Present study X X X X X X Based on literature search, many case studies concentrate on national [34], regional [35] and rural communities scale [2,11,12,16,18,20,22,23,26,28,36] with only a few research efforts directed at low-income households. Furthermore, the effect of energy efficient practices on the techno-economic and environmental features of HRES have not been comprehensively investigated (see Table 1).…”

Feasibility and Cost Analysis of Photovoltaic-Biomass Hybrid Energy System in Off-Grid Areas of Bangladesh

“…However, the use of stand-alone PV systems in off-grid applications also presents certain drawbacks, mainly related to the intrinsic intermittency and stochasticity of the solar source. To overcome these drawbacks, the use of electrical Energy Storage System (ESS) solutions is usually implemented [15,16], along with the adoption of hybrid configurations, i.e., by adding traditional controllable power generators (such as diesel-electric motors), to support the intermittency and unreliability of PV systems.Currently, in off-grid PV systems, the use of large ESS solutions is usually considered economically unviable due to the high investment costs, that is, high costs of storage devices [17,18], whereas the combined adoption of PV with ESS and diesel-electric generators has been widely adopted [19]. Nevertheless, increasing concern about global warming and environmental pollution is propelling the replacement of generators that were traditionally powered by fossil fuels, while there is more interest in adopting greener solutions.…”

“…Currently, in off-grid PV systems, the use of large ESS solutions is usually considered economically unviable due to the high investment costs, that is, high costs of storage devices [17,18], whereas the combined adoption of PV with ESS and diesel-electric generators has been widely adopted [19]. Nevertheless, increasing concern about global warming and environmental pollution is propelling the replacement of generators that were traditionally powered by fossil fuels, while there is more interest in adopting greener solutions.…”