MODEL BASED IMPLEMENTATION OF OFF-GRID HYBRID POWER SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY OF WUDIL, KANO STATE

Abstract

Nigeria has current electrification rate of less than 10% for a population of 180 million connected to the grid. The electricity generation company in Nigeria (GENCOS) is greatly affected by low water levels making it difficult to satisfy the existing demand of electricity. This makes it difficult for Nigeria to extend its National electricity grid. The objective of the study is to design stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system which is economically and technically feasible with focus on hydropower, wind, and solar within Wudil area. The study area is estimated to have 420 households, commercial and public service load with primary load demand of 5,556.31 kWh/day and peak load of 302.93 kW. River discharge data were collected from Hadejia Jamamre River Basin Authority (HAJRBDA) while solar and wind data were collected from NASA. HOMER modeling tool was used to design the system. The design considered three scenarios based on different flow rates; 159, xx, and xxx. The hybrid system with 159, is found to be the best compared to the other two scenarios. The hybrid system initial capital cost is $2,662,638 while Net present cost (NPC) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) are $3,597,197 and $0.134/kWh respectively. However, the cost of electricity in Nigeria on the grid is N88.02/kWh ($0.11/kWh) which makes the system expensive. Therefore, the study has shown that the hybrid system is not economically viable. However, Government intervention can help to make the system monetarily acceptable and viable