Abstract
Nearly 60% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa still live without access to electricity. Comparing the access rate of the countries in the region, Malawi ranks as one of the least electrified, with electricity available to only 14.6% of its population, as of 2018. This issue makes Malawi the case study of this research and poses the research question, “How can the low electricity access rate in Malawi be addressed?”. To address this research question, possible off grid, integrated, sustainable energy systems based on locally available energy resources—solar, wind, and diesel—are proposed. The multiyear and sensitivity analysis function of HOMER Pro microgrid simulation software is used to analyze the off grid performance of the proposed combinations of diesel generators, wind turbines, solar Photovoltaics, and battery storage, in providing power for an estimate of 400 households and nonresidential outlets in Machinga Boma, a community in the Southern region of Malawi. Based on the analysis, the Solar Photovoltaic/Diesel Genset/battery system combination consisting of 750 kWp solar Photovoltaic array, 460 kW (575 kVA) diesel generator and 3000 kWh nominal capacity battery bank is shown to be the most optimal system, with an overall energy cost of $0.339/kWh. Under the imposed design constraints and the sensitivity analysis performed to analyze the impact of changing the base fuel price, varying load growth, changing solar irradiation, and wind levels on the system performance, the most optimal system remained the preferred system choice.
Highlights
IntroductionDevelopment opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are significantly hindered by the severe shortage of energy supply in the region
As of 2018, the estimated number of people living without access to electricity was estimated to be 860 million, with 595 million of this estimate residing in sub-Saharan Africa [1]
The research was undertaken primarily to propose viable solutions to the evident electricity supply crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, with a primary focus on proposing sustainable energy system configurations for electrifying remote areas in Malawi, while bearing in mind the focus of the government of Malawi to diversify its energy mix and reduce the country’s reliance on hydropower, which is subject to droughts and accounts for over 95%
Summary
Development opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are significantly hindered by the severe shortage of energy supply in the region. As of 2018, the estimated number of people living without access to electricity was estimated to be 860 million, with 595 million of this estimate residing in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Despite the connection of 15 million people in this region to electricity from 2013 to 2018, nearly 60% of the population in the sub-Saharan Africa region still live with no access to electricity. The energy supply crisis of the sub-Saharan region is attributed to a number of factors, such as the limited availability of capital investment, underdeveloped energy policies, poor planning, and inefficiencies in power infrastructure [2,3]
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