FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE DISTRIBUTED OFF-GRID GENERATION; SOLAR ENERGY INTEGRATION INTO THE NIGERIAN ENERGY MIX USING HOMER, A CASE STUDY OF ADOYE COMMUNITY IN ONDO STATE
A hybrid mini-grid technology system could be installed in Adoye Community, Odigbo Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria. An analysis of the proposal's technical, environmental, and financial viability is presented in this paper. This study examines and contrasts the environmental impact, operational parameters, and cost of implementing a diesel generator-only system versus a hybrid mini-grid that combines solar power, battery power, and diesel generator. According to the design, a 71KW peak load was designed. The mini-grid analysis showed that increasing access to renewable energy sources could help promote sustainable technological development in rural communities and lessen the effects of global warming. The viability and practicality of the system were examined using HOMER PRO software. HOMER Pro looked into the environmental, technological, and financial viability of installing a hybrid PV, battery, and diesel system there. The National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) databases provided the study's climate data. As can be seen from its favorable net present value (NPV) and monthly(average) irradiance of about 4.8 kW/h/m2, a comparison of the results of the two scenarios shows that the hybrid system was more environmentally and financially feasible. Furthermore, the system achieved a significant diminution in Green House Gas emissions when compared with the Diesel-generator only scenario. The system also provided a reasonable payback period of about 2.4 years. The results emphasize how adopting a hybrid system can improve access to high-quality energy and help mitigate climate change.
