Techno Economic Assessment of Developing Off-Grid Photovoltaic (PV) System for Electrification in Gombe, Nigeria

Electrification and access to electricity remains a big challenge especially in developing nations such as Nigeria. The current energy supply mechanisms are faced with many challenges one of which is depending on single energy source. Despite the efforts made by the Nigerian Government to ensure electricity availability, the energy supply remains insufficient due to numerous factors such as losses encountered during distribution, and lack of proper maintenance amongst others. Therefore, this work proposes a techno-economic assessment of developing off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system for powering residential homes in Gombe, Nigeria. This is envisaged as one of the ways of mitigating the current electricity situations of the location. Additionally, the long-term perspectives of off-grid PV systems are very favourable based on its ongoing technological improvements and cost reductions. This paper studies four energy consumption cases of which each could cover a combination of basic energy needs regarding lighting, cooling, food conservation and electronic appliances. Case I considers a system that supplies power for LED lamps and electronic devices. Accordingly, Cases II and III respectively incorporate refrigeration and air conditioning systems, while Case IV integrates both air conditioning and refrigeration systems into case I. The modelling and optimization of the four cases are performed using the System Advisor Model (SAM) software, based on its proven efficiency in the provision of optimal cost solutions for off-grid PV systems. The outcomes of the techno-economic assessment of the applications considered in this study are crucial to the understanding of the practical potentials of off-grid PV system-based generation.