A Study on the Design and Financial Viability of Solar PV Plants in Rwanda

Solar PV systems are believed vital to provide reliable and eco-friendly energy to remote villages. However, a lack of information on the load demands, lack of information on factors of energy loss, and scarcity of information on the potential financial benefits of PV plants in rural areas hinder the optimal development of PV plants and investments in PV plant development. This study addresses these issues by assessing the load requirements for electrification and farming activities in remote areas in Rwanda, identifying energy loss factors for PV plants, and estimating the financial gains from such systems. The study shows that despite factors such as temperature-induced energy losses, the regions have enough solar resources to meet the villages' load demands. The economic evaluation reveals that solar PV plants can be beneficial to investors, with the cost of energy dropping significantly and benefiting consumers.