Umudike Journal of Engineering and Technology

Growing demand for clean energy and environmental sustainability has driven the shift from fossil fuels to reliable renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower. This study presents a comparative techno-economic feasibility analysis of four hybrid grid-connected configurations—Grid–Diesel (Scenario I, represents a conventional system), Grid–Diesel–Battery (Scenario II, representing the existing system), Grid–Diesel–PV (Scenario III), and Grid–Diesel PV–Battery (Scenario IV)—for meeting the load demand of the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) office unit at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, using HOMER software. The assessment used the net present cost (NPC), cost of energy (COE), renewable fractions (RF), and emissions to identify PV–Battery–Grid configuration of scenario IV as the optimal solution, the NPC (₦2.92M), LCOE (₦14.21/kWh), and presented the lowest emission at 213 kg/yr than the other scenarios. In contrast, Scenarios I and II optimal solutions were found the least favourable, with an NPC of ₦12.0M, LCOE of ₦57.0/kWh and ₦11.4M, LCOE of ₦57.0/kWh respectively. Sensitivity analysis considering diesel price and solar insolation variations confirmed the robustness of Scenario IV, demonstrating its viability as a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly energy solution for educational facilities.