Techno-Economic and Environmental Analysis of the Integration of Renewable Energies in the Power Supply of BTS Sites Using the Optimization Method: The Case of Solar PV in Benin

Abstract

This work is a technical-economic and environmental study of the integration of solar PV energy into the power supply systems of BTS sites in Benin. The aim is to minimize the costs and greenhouse gas emissions of power supply systems for BTS sites in Benin. Two hybrid system configurations are studied: PV/DG/Battery and PV/Grid/DG/Battery. HOMER software is used to simulate the systems, considering solar irradiation, load demand, component costs and technical specifications. Simulation results showed that the integration of photovoltaic solar energy considerably reduces the economic costs of systems and the rate of environmental pollution. Indeed, the integration of solar energy reduced the average cost of energy (LCOE). This reduction ranges from 61.26% to 67.77% for off-grid systems, and from 40.27% to 43.85% for on-grid systems. As for the Net Present Cost (NPC), the reduction ranges from 61.24% to 67.71% for Off-Grid systems and 26.77% to 31.34% for On-Grid systems. The savings in greenhouse gas emissions are enormous. They range from 94.49% to 95.17% for Off-Grid systems and from 94.35% to 94.64% for On-Grid systems.