Technical and economic assessment of hybrid energy systems in South-West Nigeria

The technical and economic assessment of using hybrid energy system for electricity generation in rural communities in the south-west of Nigeria is investigated in this study. Renewable resources (wind and solar data) in Ibadan located on the latitude of 7.43 degrees N and longitude 3.91 degrees E are used. Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable software has been employed to carry out the present study. It was found that Wind-PV-Generator-Battery hybrid system is most suitable option as stand-alone electricity generating system in Ibadan. The optimal simulation results indicate that the levelised cost of energy for this hybrid energy system varies between $0.437/kWh and $0.606/kWh depending on the diesel price. These costs are significantly lower than the cost of using diesel generator only (without battery) which varies between $0.607 and $0.940 per kWh. It was further observed that there is a significant reduction in emission produced if hybrid energy system is used instead of only generator based energy system. The most suitable hybrid systems in other locations in south-west Nigeria can be identified from the optimal energy system plots provided.