PV-Diesel Hybrid Mini-Grid
Overview
One possibility to avoid high storage costs is to use the solar electricity only during daytime, with a small battery system for peak demands. At night or during rainy days the electricity is generated by the Diesel generator.
Experiences in Senegal
-> Experience from EnDev.
In Senegal EnDev disseminates PV-diesel hybrid mini-grids for the electrification of villages with up to 500 inhabitants or 40 households.
The systems consist of (approximate total cost including installation in brackets):
- a PV array with a capacity of 5.1 kWpconsisting of 30 polycrystalline PV modules with a capacity of 170 Wpeach (15,000 €)
- a battery bank consisting of 24 elements of 2 V of lead-acid tubular plate batteries; element capacity is 800 Ah C10 leading to a bank capacity of 38,4 kWh (15,000 €)
- a monophase generator of 10 kVA linked to the PV system (7000 €)
- a 5000 VA inverter (4,000 €)
- 220 Volts low voltage three phase AC distribution through a mini-grid (10,000 € per km; 2-3 km per village)
- system housing (6,000 €).
The total costs of installing a system is between about 70,000 € and 80,000 €.
The 16 systems have a total PV capacity of 81.6 kWp and can generate 106.9 MWh per year. Electricity generation by the diesel generator is not included in this calculation.
Experiences in Kenya
-> Experience from Prosolar
Further Information
- Solar Hybrid Systems
- Financing solar hybrid systems
- Solar portal on energypedia
- Grid portal on energypedia
- Mini-Grid load assessment and system sizing handbook
References
