Techno-economic analysis of hybrid system for rural electrification in Cambodia

In developing countries, shortage of electricity is the main obstacle for economic and social development. In Cambodia, isolated grid diesel-based systems are used for rural electrification. However, due to the cost fluctuation and carbon dioxide emission of diesel fuel, alternative power generation scenarios are needed to consider. This paper aims to investigate the optimum scenario of a hybrid system for supplying electricity to one remote district in Cambodia. Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) is used as a tool for techno-economic analysis. Three scenarios are considered in this study: diesel-only; diesel/PV; and diesel/PV with battery system. Results show that diesel/PV with battery is the optimum solution. This hybrid system comprises 13% of solar PV penetration with cost of electricity (COE) of $0.377/kWh. The initial capital cost and total net present cost (NPC) are $2,260,000 and $16,661,344, respectively. Furthermore, this system can reduce almost 720 tons/year of carbon dioxide if compared with conventional diesel-only scenario. Sensitivity analysis with variation of parameters such as diesel prices, component costs, real interest rates, as well as demand loads are also performed in the study.