Energy storage integration with solar PV for increased electricity access: A case study of Burkina Faso

Electricity access remains a challenge for majority of the West African countries,
wherein 5 out of 16 have an electrification rate of less than 25%, with Burkina Faso
having only 9% of the rural population with electricity access in 2017. This study
presents a techno-economic feasibility analysis of solar PV system integration with
conceptualized Pumped hydro storage (PHS) and electric batteries for Burkina Faso. The study explores two cases (a) an off-grid PV with storage system for rural areas and (b) a grid connected PV system for an urban location. The least cost configuration of PV with feasible storage is investigated using HOMER. In the urban case, addition of PV to the grid could drive down the cost of energy by 50% as compared to the present grid electricity prices. Similarly, PV with PHS remains the optimal system configuration for rural case provided the geographic availability of lower and upper reservoirs that leads to a reduction of project cost by more than half. The capital cost of PV remains to be the most dominating factor for both the cases, signifying the importance of introducing policy interventions that reduce the costs of PV for increased electrification in West African countries.