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Research Article
Hybrid Renewable Energy Supply System for Remote Villages of Grid in Madagascar Using Linear Programming by Simplex Method and Genetic Algorithms
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
124-138
Received:
29 August 2026
Accepted:
10 September 2026
Published:
27 September 2026
Abstract: This paper details the development of a linear model to optimize the sizing of a hybrid renewable energy supply system (HRESS) for remote rural villages in developing countries. The model studied is defined by its energy supply versatility to rural household consumers. It includes electrical energy, thermal energy for cooking, and also muscular energy used for transport and manual work related to the HRESS and agriculture. For HRESS design, the approach optimizes the objective function related to total annual cost. Our optimization methodology is organized around simplex and genetic algorithms. They are simple to implement and compatible with linear programming. First, we use the deterministic simplex method for model design; second, we use a genetic algorithm as a heuristic to optimize the multi-criteria objective function. The simplex method yields a solution based on weighting coefficients α for cost, β: for CO2 emissions, and γ: for renewable energy sources. Our approach provides a three-dimensional Pareto front (total cost, CO2 emissions, and share of renewable sources). To demonstrate the design process of HRESS, a numerical study is drawn from the fishing village of Lavanono, located in the extreme south of Madagascar. In the context of minimizing total cost Z, the single economic-criterion method demonstrates a preference for non-renewable energy sources. Specifically, the implementation of the simplex and genetic algorithm methods results in the selection of diesel generators for 100% of the electricity supply, with a production of 128,551 kWh, and firewood for 100% of the energy for cooking, with a production of 379,600 kWh. The novelty of our approach lies in the integration of human and animal muscle power into the HRESS. The optimization of this approach yields 12 workers (1,382 kWh) and 10 beef domestic power (5,760 kWh) in the HRESS. The aforementioned amount is equivalent to Z=38,052 USD. The three-dimensional Pareto front is utilized to achieve a sustainable HRESS. The intermediate compromise is as follows: an 80% share of renewable energy sources: agrivoltaics, wind, and biogas. Agrivoltaics and wind power together provide 80% of the electricity supply. The diesel generator supplies the remaining 20%. It is estimated that biogas accounts for approximately 40% of clean cooking in the village of Lavanono. The emission limit of HRESS is set at 150 tons of carbon dioxide per year. In this case, the total cost of the project becomes Z = 70,500 USD.
Abstract: This paper details the development of a linear model to optimize the sizing of a hybrid renewable energy supply system (HRESS) for remote rural villages in developing countries. The model studied is defined by its energy supply versatility to rural household consumers. It includes electrical energy, thermal energy for cooking, and also muscular ene...
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Research Article
Cross-Comparison of Ground Observations, CAMS Estimates, and Linke-Model Irradiance for Photovoltaic System Design in Sahelian Niger
Mahamadou Hamidine*
,
Aminou Baare Ali,
Hamidou Arouna Saley,
Makinta Boukar
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
139-147
Received:
12 September 2026
Accepted:
22 September 2026
Published:
14 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepe.20261505.12
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Abstract: Reliable solar-resource inputs are essential for photovoltaic (PV) and hybrid-system design, but temporal matching and measurement traceability require scrutiny where reference records are scarce. This study compares SM206-SOLAR ground observations, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) Radiation Service v4.6 estimates and Linke-model irradiance for Dosso, Niger, in May and August 2021. The CAMS v4.6 dataset documents the coordinates, altitude, UTC intervals and irradiation units. Ground records at nominal local observation times were paired with centered 30-minute CAMS means constructed from adjacent 15-minute intervals. Requiring both intervals to have Reliability = 1 retained 339 and 320 pairs, respectively, distributed over 31 dates in each month. Statistics were calculated across daily means formed from identical retained times in the two series. Mean ground and CAMS irradiances were 881.31 and 627.71 W m-2 in May, and 696.29 and 530.66 W m-2 in August. Ground-minus-CAMS mean differences were +253.59 W m-2 (+40.40%) and +165.64 W m-2 (+31.21%); root-mean-square differences were 268.28 and 190.73 W m-2, with correlations of 0.620 and 0.898. Sensitivity checks using preceding or following intervals, or retaining lower-reliability intervals, did not remove the positive mean differences. Six-point Linke comparisons on 1 May and 1 August gave root-mean-square differences of 347.70 and 278.76 W m-2. The CAMS product identity and temporal aggregation are explicitly documented, but undocumented sensor calibration and orientation, instantaneous-versus-interval sampling and limited clear-sky characterization prevent ranking the sources by accuracy. The results support qualification of irradiance inputs; they do not quantify PV-yield or system-sizing errors.
Abstract: Reliable solar-resource inputs are essential for photovoltaic (PV) and hybrid-system design, but temporal matching and measurement traceability require scrutiny where reference records are scarce. This study compares SM206-SOLAR ground observations, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) Radiation Service v4.6 estimates and Linke-model irr...
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Research Article
Energy Audit and Optimization Strategies for Electricity Consumption in University Buildings of the
Sudano-Sahelian Zone: The Case of Norbert Zongo University
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
148-159
Received:
27 September 2026
Accepted:
8 October 2026
Published:
23 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijepe.20261505.13
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Abstract: University buildings in sub-Saharan Africa are major items of energy expenditure, yet their consumption remains rarely documented. This study reports the electrical audit of three groups of buildings of Norbert Zongo University in Koudougou (Burkina Faso) and assesses the savings potential that can be mobilized. The approach combines a bottom-up estimate, based on an exhaustive equipment inventory and on a usage survey of one hundred and twenty-three respondents, with the analysis of one hundred and eight monthly billing records covering the period 2021-2023 and supplied by SONABEL, the national electricity utility. The inventory attributes 41.4% of consumption to air conditioning, 30.7% to lighting, 21.9% to ventilation and 6.0% to other equipment. When compared with the metered records, this estimate overstates the energy actually billed by 32.1%, a gap attributable to out-of-service equipment and to the operating-time assumptions adopted. The monthly profiles reveal a marked seasonality, with maxima from March to June and minima in September and October, as well as a decoupling between temperature and consumption at the end of 2023. The demand recorded exceeds the subscribed power in 56.2% of the months observed, by up to a factor of 5.4 for the 1000-seat lecture hall; the corresponding penalties reach 13.4 million CFA francs over three years, i.e. 6.4% of the bill. The power factor complies with the regulatory threshold of 0.92 in only 9.4% of the months, no capacitor bank being installed. The effective unit cost stands at 159.7 FCFA/kWh, i.e. 2.5 times the normal-hours tariff. A smart-meter prototype is proposed to instrument the monitoring of consumption.
Abstract: University buildings in sub-Saharan Africa are major items of energy expenditure, yet their consumption remains rarely documented. This study reports the electrical audit of three groups of buildings of Norbert Zongo University in Koudougou (Burkina Faso) and assesses the savings potential that can be mobilized. The approach combines a bottom-up es...
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