| dc.description.abstract | A significant characteristic of the power sector in Burundi is the very low level of electrification,
mostly supplied to urban areas. However, Burundi has considerable potential for developing
renewable energy technologies such as hydropower and solar PV. Despite this potential, a number
of micro-hydropower plants have been constructed especially for rural electrification and are
managed by Burundian Agency for Rural Electrification (ABER). Many of them have failed to
provide reliable electricity in most of the remote areas due to the general reduction in the level of
water and due to energy demand growth for the communities. This study aimed to identify a
simple, reliable, viable and cost-effective hybrid power system to overcome the power supply
intermittency from small scale hydropower system. Sizing, operation and control of the renewable
sources in a hybrid power system are very essential for its techno-economic feasibility and
stability. HOMER (Hybrid Optimization model for Multiple Energy Resources) software was
used to develop an optimal hybrid power system design. From this study, it has been found that
the most suitable complementary renewable energy source to the existing micro-hydropower to
overcome energy generation fluctuations is a combination of the Kigwena micro-hydropower
plant, solar PV technology and utility grid for smoothing unexpected intermittencies. From the
analysis, these renewable energies were found to be the most techno-economical viable option to
upgrade the capacity of the hydropower with the lowest LCOE of 𝑈𝑆$ 0.0334 /𝑘𝑊ℎ. This cost is
within the range in comparison to the current electricity tariff in Burundi ranging from
𝑈𝑆$ 0.023/ 𝑘𝑊ℎ to 𝑈𝑆$ 0.072/𝑘𝑊ℎ. The study would be a replicable model for other areas
facing similar challenges | en_US |
