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The intermittency of electricity supply from conventional sources, increase in fuel prices and constant emission of greenhouse gases by non-renewable energy sources are major challenges faced by energy users. Energy from reneweable sources have advantages over the traditional (non-renewable) sources of energy. This paper presents the sizing and analysis of a standalone photovoltaic (PV) system for a 3-bedroom residence situated at Obollo-Nsukka (6.876°N, 7.403°E, 389 m) in Nigeria. The energy requirements of such a residence are 8.14 kWh/day and analysis have shown that the cost of constructing the PV system is 2,838,040 Nigeria naira (NGN). The cost of maintaining such a system within a lifetime of 20 years is between 159,328 NGN/year to 1,895,918 NGN/year. Comparing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of enugu electricity distribution company (EEDC) which is 66.5 NGN/kWh to the LCOE of the standalone PV system which is between 102,124 NGN/kWh to 419 NGN/kWh it was found out that the cost of electricity from the PV system is more than that of the conventional grid. The PV system provides feasible solution to the intermittency issues of the conventional grid in Nigeria. Hence, this technology only technically viable for residential electrification purposes in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a user-oriented software tool for simulation of a solar energy-based hydrogen production system. The developed tool goes beyond the realm of electric load and includes a hydrogen cooking load facility, as an efficient means of utilising the hydrogen produced. A model rural household in Nigeria has been used to evaluate the tool. It was found that a 2.42 kW solar photovoltaic module, 0.6 kW electrolyser and 3.7 kWh battery would be enough to provide steady 24-h power for a modest daily energy demand of 2.2 kWh. In the results, the excess energy realised was used in a H2-cooker to partly meet the estimated 1.9 kWh/day cooking demand of the household over a simulated year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy plays a very important role in the improvement and promotion of environmental sustainability in agricultural-related activities. This paper evaluates the techno-economic and environmental benefits of deploying photovoltaic (PV)- battery systems in a livestock farmhouse. For the energy requirements of the farm to be determined, a walkthrough energy audit is conducted on the farmhouse. The farm selected for this study is located in southern Nigeria. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Hybrid Optimization Modeling for Electric Renewable (HOMER) software was adapted for the purpose of the techno-economic analysis. It is found that a standalone PV/battery-powered system in farmhouse applications has higher economic viability when compared to its diesel-powered counterparts in terms of total net present cost (TNPC). A saving of 48% is achievable over the TNPC and Cost of Energy with zero emissions. The results obtained show the numerous benefits of replacing diesel generators with renewable energy sources such as PV-battery systems in farming applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]