Techno-Economic Analysis of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Off-Grid Power Supply and Hydrogen Production: A case study of the Yalgo community, Burkina Faso

Abstract

In Burkina Faso, ensuring access to modern, reliable, and affordable energy remains a major challenge, particularly in rural areas, where, as of 2022, the electrification rate stood at just 5.49% compared to 86.96% in urban areas according to the Rural Electrification Strategy (2024). This study proposes a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) tailored to the off-grid community of Yalgo in northern Burkina. A techno-economic evaluation and affordability assessment are carried out for a demand of 1762.05 kWh/day, estimated through a door-to-door survey, while also considering green hydrogen production. Four technical scenarios are optimised using HOMER software and compared in respect of the net present cost (NPC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), electricity unmet demand (UD), and excess energy produced (EEP). The first three scenarios include wind-battery, PV-battery, and Wind-PV & battery. The wind-PV & battery configuration proves more attractive, delivering an LCOE of 0.28 USD/kWh, with UD of less than 1% and about 40% EEP. Building on this result, an electrolyser is integrated into the optimal configuration, making the fourth scenario (Wind/PV/Battery/Electrolyser) suitable for evaluating hydrogen co-production. Hydrogen is generated primarily from surplus electricity and, in turn, lowers EEP to 9.25 % while maintaining 100% coverage of the community’s electricity demand. Although the LCOE rises to 0.8 USD/kWh, the system remains competitive for remote contexts. Beyond acting as a flexible energy carrier, green hydrogen opens opportunities for power regeneration, local mobility, agro-processing, and clean-cooking applications, thereby adding value that would otherwise be lost. Finally, three tariff-design scenarios, are analysed to identify structures that keep community expenditure below common affordability thresholds and address energy justice concerns. The novelty of this work lies in combining detailed techno-economic optimisation with scenario-based tariff analysis to deliver a 100% renewable energy, hydrogen-enhanced electrification solution explicitly benchmarked against rural income levels. This integrated framework and its results provide new evidence for designing equitable, sustainable energy systems, offering policymakers and rural electrification stakeholders a replicable blueprint for Africa’s green hydrogen future.