Techno‐economic assessment of solar photovoltaic integration into national grids: A case study of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Abstract To promote a low‐carbon society, it is urgent to better integrate renewable energies into energy supply systems. This paper examines the impact of solar photovoltaic (PV) integration into the national electrical grid in Burkina Faso on the electricity production cost. The analysis is based on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) technique. Several levels of PV integration have been considered namely 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of the total installed capacity. First, the results revealed all the configurations with PV integration are more attractive and cost‐effective compared with the conventional diesel standalone electricity system. The sensitivity analysis shows that the configuration with 80% PV is the most attractive when compared to the other ones as it has the lowest LCOE and CO2 emissions compared with the other scenarios. This paper also shows that in the context of rising fuel prices and environmental concern, the electricity production based on diesel standalone system is not a viable solution for Burkina Faso at the moment. Finally, the results revealed that subsidies offered by the government of Burkina Faso to support the electricity production cost will be more effective for a system with PV integration. This paper gives detail highlights of solution for policymakers to make useful investment in solar energy and widen the access to electricity in Burkina Faso.

Keywords

• Burkina Faso
• diesel generator
• grid integration
• levelized cost of electricity
• optimization
• solar photovoltaic