Microhydro-PV-hybrid system: Sizing a small hydro-PV-hybrid system for rural electrification in developing countries

In most countries of equatorial Africa, it is difficult to satisfy power demand all year long by hydro sources alone. In some remote areas, where this is the case, a judicious combination of other renewable sources to form a hybrid system can help solve rural electrification problems. One of these combinations is the use of PV together with a diesel and batteries. We highlight the use of an optimization model to size such a system in a village in Cameroon. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.