Viability of the store-on Grid Scheme model for grid-tied rooftop solar photovoltaic systems in Sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

The viability of the store-on grid (SoG) scheme model across 13 selected Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries was investigated. The individual country's datasets applicable to the SoG scheme and a typical industrial building as a baseline prosumer were used in the evaluation. Two SoG scheme scenarios (A and B) based on solar photovoltaic (PV) module prices were used in this analysis. The electricity tariffs under the SoG scheme were compared with the time of use rates for the selected SSA countries. The analysis results revealed that the scheme could be viable in only nine and four out of 13 countries under scenario A and scenario B, respectively, with high lending interest rate in some countries being the key hindrance. Under the SoG scheme model, solar PV systems in all the selected countries could feed about 15.65–39.25% of the generated energy to the grid. The government tax in the range of 1.95–3.38 and 2.48–4.31 c$/kWh could be collected from the energy fed to the grid under SoG scheme scenario A and scenario B, respectively. Overall, the SoG scheme exhibits greater potential as an energy business model to foster rooftop solar PV technology adoption in developing countries.