Techno-Economic Optimization of Standalone and Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Off-Grid Rural Electrification: A Comparative HOMER Pro Analysis

Sufiyanu Kasim Magaji; Sadik Umar; Umar; M Kangiwa; Usman Labaran Isah; Shaaibu

doi:10.56201/ijemt.vol.12.no7.2026.pg654.660

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Techno-Economic Optimization of Standalone and Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Off-Grid Rural Electrification: A Comparative HOMER Pro Analysis

Sufiyanu Kasim Magaji, Sadik Umar, Umar, M Kangiwa, Usman Labaran Isah, Shaaibu

Abstract

Reliable electricity access remains critically deficient in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, where grid extension is economically prohibitive and conventional diesel-based generation is environmentally unsustainable. This study presents a comprehensive techno-economic optimization of seven renewable energy system configurations—standalone solar photovoltaic (PV), standalone wind, standalone micro-hydropower, PV–wind, PV–hydro, wind–hydro, and PV–wind–hydro hybrid systems—for electrifying Bakaramba Village (12°45′N, 4°32.2′E), Kebbi State, Nigeria. Using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER Pro) software, hourly simulations were performed over a 25-year project lifetime with resource data sourced from NASA POWER and the Goronyo Dam hydrological station. Systems were evaluated against technical indicators (total energy production, unmet load, capacity shortage, energy losses, autonomy) and economic metrics (net present cost, levelized cost of energy, annual operating cost). Results demonstrate that hybrid architectures consistently outperformed standalone systems in reliability and resource utilization. The PV–wind–hydro tri-hybrid configuration achieved the lowest total energy loss (4,935 kWh/yr), a moderate net present cost of ₦123,813,000, and a levelized cost of energy of ₦149.98/kWh, while maintaining zero operational emissions. The standalone hydro system recorded the lowest economic cost (NPC: ₦75,414,360; LCOE: ₦94.43/kWh) but exhibited the highest unmet load (3,158 kWh/yr) and capacity shortage (3,478 kWh/yr). The findings establish that an optimized tri-hybrid renewable system provides the most balanced technically reliable, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable electrification pathway for off-grid rural communities in semi-arid West Africa.

Keywords

hybrid renewable energy systems; HOMER Pro; techno-economic optimization; rural electrification; levelized cost of energy; off-grid power systems

References

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Techno-Economic Optimization of Standalone and Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Off-Grid Rural Electrification: A Comparative HOMER Pro Analysis

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