Optimal Sizing and Analysis of a Small Hybrid Power System for Umuokpo Amumara in Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Umuokpo Amumara is a village with an estimated population of 9,000 people and about 800 households located in the eastern region of Nigeria in West Africa. This village has no access to power grids for over a decade of existence. Umuokpo, by virtue of its location 5°27′35.9″N 7°19′60.0″E, on the average receives about 6 hours of sunlight with a daily average irradiance of 6.12 kWh/m2. The solar energy can be tapped and harnessed to generate quality electricity for this small village. Since the wind speed is low (ranging between 3.0 m/s and 3.5 m/s), the wind resource cannot be incorporated into the design. The average load demand of the village is 9.422 MWh/day with a peak load of 1.3 MW. This paper is aimed at designing a small hybrid power system that can generate sustainable electricity for the village from renewable energy sources. The design also considers a backup diesel generator and an energy storage system. The designed system consists of a 2,750 kW solar photovoltaic (PV), a 21,600 kWh battery storage, a 1,500 kW power electronic converter, and a 1,000 kW diesel generator. The simulation suggests that the proposed system can adequately meet the electricity needs of the village. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out on the system to observe its behavior with varying levels of irradiation and load.