Low-Cost Solar Microgrid with Energy Storage for Rural Africa: A Sustainable Electrification Model for Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

I. U. Okafor; E. O. Oduboye

doi:10.56201/ijemt.vol.12.no5.2026.pg300.309

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Low-Cost Solar Microgrid with Energy Storage for Rural Africa: A Sustainable Electrification Model for Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

I. U. Okafor , and E. O. Oduboye

Abstract

Access to reliable electricity remains a major challenge in rural and peri-urban regions of Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. This study proposes a low-cost solar Photo Voltaic (PV) microgrid integrated with battery energy storage as a sustainable electrification model for rural communities in Benin City, Edo State. The research adopts a techno-economic and socio- environmental analysis using secondary data and simulation-based modeling. Results show that a hybrid Solar PV-battery system can significantly reduce energy costs, improve reliability, and enhance socio-economic development. The study demonstrates that solar microgrids are a viable alternative to diesel-based systems, with potential cost reductions of up to 50% - 81% in net present cost under optimized configurations (Salihu, T.Y., et al. (2020)). The findings support decentralized renewable energy development as a scalable solution for achieving universal electrification in Nigeria.

Keywords

Solar-MicrogridRural-ElectrificationEnergy-StorageSustainable-EnergyBenin-CityNigeria.

References

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Low-Cost Solar Microgrid with Energy Storage for Rural Africa: A Sustainable Electrification Model for Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

References

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