Renewable power generation for developing societies on a remote island in Fiji : A case study

Abstract: Access to electricity is an important factor for rural development as many needs and services such as education, health care and water supply all have energy requirements. The aim of this study was to develop a sustainable electrification system based on renewable energy for the remote village Keteira on Moala Island, Fiji. Keteira does not currently have any reliable electricity supply, but the Fijian Government has set ambitious goals regarding electricity access and the renewable share in the power generation which led to the conclusion that Keteira in the near future will have access to electricity. The daily electricity demand profile for the village has been estimated based on consumption patterns available from other communities in similar living standards. The renewable energy sources available to Moala island have been identified as solar, wind and biomass energy, and the potentials of those sources were calculated based on global data libraries available online. Six different electrification system alternatives were developed, based on the aforementioned energy resources, either as single energy source-based systems or hybrid energy system solutions.These system alternatives were evaluated analytically and optimised for Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) using the software HOMER Pro. The results showed that the optimal LCOE was 0.516 USD/kWh for the hybrid energy system which consisted of biomass, wind, solar and battery storage designed to supply the maximum power demand and daily energy demand in the village. Capital investment cost (CAPEX) was estimated as 480,500 USD for installation of the optimum system. However, it should be taken into account that no field study could be conducted in Keteira due to covid-19 and that the resulting system therefore might not be the most optimal for Keteira’s real conditions.