GRID-SOLAR HYBRID POWER SYSTEM FOR MAIDUGURI REGION, NIGERIA: A THEORETICAL DESIGN AND SIMULATION USING HOMER�
Regular power outages in Maiduguri, Nigeria, resulting from vandalism and old transmission infrastructure, undermine the electricity supply to critical institution. The paper presents a design and techno-economic analysis of a grid�solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid energy system for the Senate Complex, University of Maiduguri. Based on site-specific solar resource, actual load profiles, and HOMER Pro simulations, the system was sized with 791 PV modules (700 Wp each), a 4570.71 Ah battery bank and a 248kW inverter for an annual demand of 528.74 MWh. Technical and economic parameters involved in the analysis were unmet load, over generation, annual purchase from grid, NPC (net present cost), as well as LCOE (levelized cost of energy) over 25 years lifespan of the system. The hybrid system had an NPC of ?569.89 M, and an LCOE of ?203/kWh in addition to reduction of unmet load to almost negligible as against grid only and PV-only. Average running cost per year was ?29.17 million, representing significant cost savings and better supply-reliability. It is shown that PV�grid is both a technically and economically feasible approach to improving energy resilience in volatile and grid-deficient regions. This work provides one of the earliest institution-level techno-economic analyses of hybrid systems in northeast Nigeria and provides a generic model for other energy-poor regions across sub-Saharan Africa.
Authors : Hamidu, M.M., EL-Jummah, AM. and Shuwa, M.
Category : Open Access Volume (Issue) : 11(2) Date Uploaded : 23rd September 2025