The growing demand for clean and reliable energy in off-grid and rural areas has made Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems a viable alternative to conventional power sources; however, maximizing their efficiency under cost and reliability constraints remains a major challenge, especially in developing regions. This study presents a novel, locally engineered Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Solar charge controller (SCC) designed to enhance energy conversion efficiency in stand-alone PV systems while maintaining affordability and ease of maintenance. Unlike existing studies that rely on imported or commercially available controllers, this research integrates indigenous design optimization, locally sourced components, and context-specific testing under Nigerian climatic conditions. The locally constructed PWM charge controller was experimentally compared with a foreign PWM and a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller. Results showed that the MPPT controller achieved the highest efficiency (45-77.6%), while the PWM SCC recorded 43-66%. The inverter efficiency reached 89.7%, and the overall system efficiency was 24.4% for MPPT and 17.4% for the local PWM design. Despite its lower efficiency, the locally built PWM controller demonstrated significant potential as a cost-effective and reliable solution for rural electrification, particularly where access to advanced components is limited. The novelty of this study lies in the development and validation of a locally fabricated PWM SCC tailored to regional energy demands and environmental conditions, bridging the gap between performance optimization and economic feasibility. It also offers a platform for standardizing the overall efficiency of a standalone Solar PV systems while offering practical insights for advancing contextualized renewable energy technologies that promote sustainable, community-driven electrification in Nigeria and similar developing regions.
| Published in | International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering (Volume 14, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12 |
| Page(s) | 107-114 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Solar Photovoltaic Systems, PWM, MPPT, Efficiency
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APA Style
Lawal, O. A., Oba, M. Z., Kabiru, L., Jimoh, A. A. (2025). Benchmarking the Efficiency of Stand-Alone Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Nigeria. International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering, 14(4), 107-114. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12
ACS Style
Lawal, O. A.; Oba, M. Z.; Kabiru, L.; Jimoh, A. A. Benchmarking the Efficiency of Stand-Alone Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Nigeria. Int. J. Energy Power Eng. 2025, 14(4), 107-114. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12,
author = {Olatunji Ahmed Lawal and Mustapha Zubair Oba and Lateef Kabiru and Adeyemi Abduhameed Jimoh},
title = {Benchmarking the Efficiency of Stand-Alone Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Nigeria
},
journal = {International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering},
volume = {14},
number = {4},
pages = {107-114},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepe.20251404.12},
abstract = {The growing demand for clean and reliable energy in off-grid and rural areas has made Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems a viable alternative to conventional power sources; however, maximizing their efficiency under cost and reliability constraints remains a major challenge, especially in developing regions. This study presents a novel, locally engineered Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Solar charge controller (SCC) designed to enhance energy conversion efficiency in stand-alone PV systems while maintaining affordability and ease of maintenance. Unlike existing studies that rely on imported or commercially available controllers, this research integrates indigenous design optimization, locally sourced components, and context-specific testing under Nigerian climatic conditions. The locally constructed PWM charge controller was experimentally compared with a foreign PWM and a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller. Results showed that the MPPT controller achieved the highest efficiency (45-77.6%), while the PWM SCC recorded 43-66%. The inverter efficiency reached 89.7%, and the overall system efficiency was 24.4% for MPPT and 17.4% for the local PWM design. Despite its lower efficiency, the locally built PWM controller demonstrated significant potential as a cost-effective and reliable solution for rural electrification, particularly where access to advanced components is limited. The novelty of this study lies in the development and validation of a locally fabricated PWM SCC tailored to regional energy demands and environmental conditions, bridging the gap between performance optimization and economic feasibility. It also offers a platform for standardizing the overall efficiency of a standalone Solar PV systems while offering practical insights for advancing contextualized renewable energy technologies that promote sustainable, community-driven electrification in Nigeria and similar developing regions.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Benchmarking the Efficiency of Stand-Alone Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Nigeria AU - Olatunji Ahmed Lawal AU - Mustapha Zubair Oba AU - Lateef Kabiru AU - Adeyemi Abduhameed Jimoh Y1 - 2025/11/07 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12 T2 - International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering JF - International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering JO - International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering SP - 107 EP - 114 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2326-960X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20251404.12 AB - The growing demand for clean and reliable energy in off-grid and rural areas has made Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems a viable alternative to conventional power sources; however, maximizing their efficiency under cost and reliability constraints remains a major challenge, especially in developing regions. This study presents a novel, locally engineered Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Solar charge controller (SCC) designed to enhance energy conversion efficiency in stand-alone PV systems while maintaining affordability and ease of maintenance. Unlike existing studies that rely on imported or commercially available controllers, this research integrates indigenous design optimization, locally sourced components, and context-specific testing under Nigerian climatic conditions. The locally constructed PWM charge controller was experimentally compared with a foreign PWM and a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller. Results showed that the MPPT controller achieved the highest efficiency (45-77.6%), while the PWM SCC recorded 43-66%. The inverter efficiency reached 89.7%, and the overall system efficiency was 24.4% for MPPT and 17.4% for the local PWM design. Despite its lower efficiency, the locally built PWM controller demonstrated significant potential as a cost-effective and reliable solution for rural electrification, particularly where access to advanced components is limited. The novelty of this study lies in the development and validation of a locally fabricated PWM SCC tailored to regional energy demands and environmental conditions, bridging the gap between performance optimization and economic feasibility. It also offers a platform for standardizing the overall efficiency of a standalone Solar PV systems while offering practical insights for advancing contextualized renewable energy technologies that promote sustainable, community-driven electrification in Nigeria and similar developing regions. VL - 14 IS - 4 ER -
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Nigeria
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Nigeria
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Nigeria
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Nigeria
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