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[Display omitted] • Electricity consumption is mapped using a combined cartographic methodology. • State of the sky impact is explored for the first time on energy management strategies. • LF strategy provides the best load monitoring by minimizing the generator uptime. • Energy management strategies play a pivotal role as hybrid solar system control tools. A novel optimized sizing and management strategy of a grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic (PV)-solar-battery-group system were proposed for the electrification of residential consumers in Northwest Africa (a case of Mauritania), and the influence of the state of the sky (clear, moderately overcast, and overcast) was analyzed according to the load flowing (LF) and the cycle charging (CC) strategies. In order to mitigate the pressure on the national grid, consolidate the consumer autonomy, minimize the cost of medium- and long-term consumption bills, and CO 2 -related emissions, a cartographic approach was conducted as the first attempt to map the electricity consumption potential for buildings in the city of Nouakchott (Mauritania) using a geo-referenced database. ArcGIS®, HOMER Pro®, and MATLAB® softwares were used for the establishment of the load profile, optimized sizing of the PV-batteries-group-grid system, and calculation of the lightness index, respectively. The LF strategy provided the best monitoring of the load throughout the day by minimizing the generator uptime. The techno-economic analysis revealed the values of cost of energy (COE) and net present cost (NPC) as follows: COE = $0.0549/kWh and NPC = $24,796 for the LF PV-batteries-grid strategy, COE = 0.0646 $/kWh and NPC = $23,380 for the CC PV-batteries-grid strategy, and COE = $0.17/kWh and NPC = $23,262 for the case of the grid on its own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduced an investigation to evaluate spatial and temporal variations of the wind potential for the techno-economic feasibility analysis of the energy production in Northwest Africa (a case of Mauritania). The present research was introduced as the first attempt to appraise the spatio-temporal influence of the wind energy production in Mauritania, and particularly focused on analyzing seasonal, daily, and turbulence index on the available wind potential in this region. Data measured every 10 min over one-year period were collected from eight sites (with three different height levels) located mainly on the west coast of Mauritania, and the annual average of the wind characteristics were determined. Power density, Weibull parameters, turbulence indices, and power-law exponents were estimated based on seasonal and daily wind analyses. Comparative studies of the power density potential of the wind on different sites were also conducted while investigating the influence of seasons, height of the wind turbines, wind directional distributions, and daily characteristics. Investigations regarding the generated energy from the wind turbine and the related capacity factor were performed based on eight particular wind turbines (Ecotècnia-44, Ecotècnia-48, Nordex-N50, Neg-Micon, Vestas-V66, Power-Wind-90, Bonus-2MW, and Vestas-V90). Results showed that the power-law exponent was higher where the turbulence index was low. The analysis of the power distribution allowed concluding on the energy availability according to the influent variables. Findings of the present techno-economic analysis (for electricity generation from the planned wind energy systems) revealed that the best cost of energy (ranging from 0.0187 €/kWh to 0.0596 €/kWh) was observed for the wind turbine Ecotècnia-48 on all sites. Image 1 • Spatio-temporal variations of the wind potential were explored in Mauritania for the first time. • Wind potential for electricity generation was characterized for eight sites with three height levels. • Wind direction was more stable in the rainy season than in dry season on all sites. • Annual mean turbulence index and power law exponent showed an opposite relationship. • Techno-economic feasibility analysis revealed that the best cost of energy was 0.0187 €/kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the remarkable potential for biogas production from livestock and organic wastes, the number of constructed biogas digesters for the continent is in the order of thousands and in case of Mauritania is lower than the number of the provinces. While majority of the existing digesters left far behind the expected efficiency, lack of a comprehensive economic assessment along with an efficient design questions their practical application. The present study introduced the first assessment to evaluate the biogas potential from livestock manures and waste from slaughterhouses in Northwest Africa (a case of Mauritania). Using ArcGIS® software, a database was conducted to build maps that show the amount of waste products, the potential of biogas, and equivalent amounts of energy. These were used to assess the potential of biogas and the corresponding potential energy for each geographical department in Mauritania. The results indicated that the southern provinces had the highest biogas potential with the maximum and the average values of 520 and 258.7 (±125.8) × 106 m3/year. On the other hand, the lowest biogas production potential (27.7 × 106 m3/year) was recorded for northern provinces with the maximum and the average values of 135 and 76.4 (±39.7) × 106 m3/year. The results showed that 63,579 × 106 kg of waste associated with livestock (cattle) and slaughterhouse applications were annually produced in the country. It was determined that this quantity could generate 2451 × 106 m3 of biogas per year, corresponding to an energy potential of 52,704 × 106 MJ/year. Considering the rapid depletion of conventional energy sources and the significance of biogas as a renewable fuel, a detailed feasibility analysis (for the biogas production in each province of Mauritania by means of community type fixed-dome digesters) was also performed in the scope of this study. The results of the comprehensive cost breakdown analysis revealed that the revenues obtained from sale of biogas-generated electricity and digested slurry (as fertilizer) could able to pay the initial investment within approximately 6.5 years without subsidy. The findings of this study, as the first of its own, could be used to comprehend how utilization of information such as slaughterhouse and livestock population, nutrition habitats, land-usage maps and geographic information system (GIS) can be employed to germinate a model for more comprehensive assessment of biogas production potential from livestock manure and slaughterhouse wastes, specifically in case of northern African countries. Moreover, in case of biogas plant, this model could be employed as a decision-making tool to identify the highly qualified location for construction of the biogas plant. • Mapping of biogas production potential is conducted in Mauritania for the first time. • 63,579 × 106 kg of waste can generate 2451 × 106 m3 of biogas per year in the country. • The southern provinces are found to have approximately 4 times more biogas potential. • Energy production in Mauritania heavily depends on oil, natural gas, and wood fuels. • A nationwide biogas digester project can pay for itself in 6.5 years without subsidy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]