Feasibility study of small Hydro/PV/Wind hybrid system for off-grid rural electrification in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is among the least developed countries on the globe with a total access to electricity not exceeding 16%. About 85% of the population lives in places where access to electricity is less than 2%. One such a place, which is the subject of this study, is the Dejen district (10°13′24.03″N, 38°07′58″E) having a total population of 107,710 within 23 villages. About 14 villages (corresponding to 63,000 people) are found in the upper Blue Nile river gorge and far remote areas, which makes the task of their electrification via grid system very difficult. Kerosene for lighting, diesel for milling and pumping, biomass for cooking and dry cells for radio are being used in the non-electrified villages. Nothing has been done so far in developing the renewable energy resources, such as small-scale hydro, solar, and wind energy in the district. s work, feasibility of small-scale Hydro/PV/Wind based hybrid electric supply system to the district is studied. Six sites (two on Taba stream, one on Bechet stream, two on Muga stream and one on Suha stream) with small-scale hydropower potentials have been identified. The hydro potentials are analyzed with the help of GIS and data obtained from the Ministry of Water Resource (MoWR) of Ethiopia. Meteorological data from National Meteorological Agency (NMA) of Ethiopia and other sources, such as NASA, is used for the estimation of solar and wind energy potentials. Electric load for the basic needs of the community, such as, for lighting, radio, television, electric baker, water pumps and flour mills, is estimated. Primary schools and health posts are also considered for the community. HOMER energy is used for optimization and sensitivity analysis of the hybrid system. Taba (B) site is selected for detailed study and, as a final result, different system types and their component sizes are identified having a cost of energy less than $0.16/kWh.