2025/12/03 by Negash, Mesay Feleke, Geremew, Getachew Bereta, Ayana, Melkamu Teshome +1
#BV-IHMS model #HOMER #Kulfo Catchment #Levelized cost of energy #Renewable energy #Techno-Economic Hydro and Solar Power
paper · doi:10.57647/ijeee.2024.1501.08
Eighty-five percent of Ethiopia’s population lives in rural areas, where only 36% have access to electricity. This study aimed to assess the techno-economic potential of hydro and solar power for rural regions in the Kulfo catchment using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER). Data from hydrologic, meteorological, and ERA5 reanalysis sources, along with household surveys, were used to analyze electricity demand. The selected sites, including T’sayte, Wisamo, Mayzo Doysa, and Gatse, were evaluated for run-of-the-river micro-hydropower and solar hybrid system potential was selected for this study. The HBV-IHMS model estimated stream flow at the sites, with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.69 for calibration and 0.63 for validation. Energy use in the selected areas was 19.77%, while 80.2% of energy went unused. The annual power production from solar photovoltaic (PV), hydropower, and generators was 5,641,903 kWh, 27,566,199 kWh, and 11,736,523 kWh, covering 12.6%, 61.3%, and 26.1% of the energy needs, respectively. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) was 0.0962 dollars per kWh, slightly higher than the Ethiopian Electricity Corporation’s cost of 0.06 dollars per kWh.