Hybrid power systems for off-grid locations: A comprehensive review of design technologies, applications and future trends

Abstract

One of the major challenges in rural areas is the lack of access to electricity. This is partly due to their remoteness, which makes the extension of the conventional grid to be economically constraining. Enhancing the living standards of rural dwellers requires meeting their basic energy needs in agriculture, businesses, communication, lighting, water supply, education, and healthcare, and this can be achieved through the adoption of new energy systems that are scalable, sustainable, relatively cheap and environment-friendly. In many of such remote areas, the use of diesel engine generators to power households, agro-processing industries, small businesses, etc. is prevalent, but emissions from these generators contribute to global warming and climate change. Also, the running cost is comparatively higher and grossly uneconomical. Evidently, the use of a hybrid power system presents some outstanding advantages over power systems based entirely on diesel resources, since the energy mixes or configurations in hybrid power systems are scalable, reliable, cost-competitive, and sustainable. It is, however, found that several pilot projects of the hybrid power system, in many of the sub-Saharan Africa countries fail in a short while after implementation. This has been attributed to the issue of reliability. It is against this backdrop that this study reviews technologies, designs, and applications of the hybrid power system in remote locations across the globe, primarily to identify, understand, and present useful directions for future research in energy systems. Furthermore, the paper suggests ways by which the issue of reliability may be addressed to realize a sustainable off-grid energy system for rural areas in developing countries.