Assessment of a Hybrid Energy System for Reliable and Sustainable Power Supply to Boru Meda Hospital in Ethiopia

TL;DR

This paper evaluates a hybrid energy system combining renewable sources and grid power to provide reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective electricity to Boru Meda Hospital in Ethiopia, demonstrating significant economic and environmental benefits.

Contribution

It presents a novel integrated optimization approach for designing hybrid energy systems tailored to hospital needs in Ethiopia, highlighting the most cost-effective configuration and its feasibility.

Findings

PV/BG/batt/conv configuration is most cost-effective

Achieves 100% renewable energy with low LCOE of $0.339/kWh

Provides reliable power with a payback period of 7.26 years

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of hybrid energy systems (HES) including Grid for providing reliable and sustainable power to Boru Meda Hospital, Ethiopia. HOMER pro 3.11.2 was used to design and evaluate a novel, integrated optimization and comparative assessment of diverse HRES, specif ically adjusted to the energy consumptions and available resources of the Hospital. The scenario evaluation showed that interconnecting photovoltaic (PV), biomass generator (BG), wind power (WP), diesel generator (DG), battery, and converter can effectively provide the Hospital's daily energy consumption of 11,214.66 kWh while conforming reliability and reducing emissions. The PV/BG/batt/conv configuration emerged as the most cost-effective and sustainable alternative, attaining the lowest LCOE of \$0.339/kWh, an NPC of \$25.7 million, and a 100% renewable energy fraction with simple pay back of 7.26 yr. As a result, the operational cost associated with the consumption of 500.00 L of diesel per month can be entirely avoided. The DG-integrated hybrids exhibit advanced techno-economic capability with significant worth, strong ROI (20\%) and IRR (18\%), endorsed by fast capital recovery (7.21-8.71 years). Overall, the hybrid system offers an optimal balance of cost, reliability, and sustainability, making it a promising and scalable solution for electrification of energy scare institution and areas in Ethiopia, thereby contributing to national sustainable energy development goals.