Comparative Analysis of the Implementation of Solar PV Systems using the ECOS Model and HOMER Software: A Kenyan Scenario

Several models have been suggested for the simulation of Hybrid Renewable Energy systems (HRES) among them HOMER, SAM, HOGA and INSEL. This paper compares simulation performed using HOMER and the new ECOS model for a village in Turkana district in Kenya, which has excellent direct normal irradiation (DNI) of about 1800kWh/m
²
/year. The ECOS model is a new software recently developed by students of Jomo Kenyatta University of science and Technology. The metrics used for comparison are the Levelised cost of electricity, net present value represented by cash flows, externalities (environmental, social and economic factors) and the energy generated. The novel contribution of this paper is the inclusion of the social, health and environmental impacts of Solar PV which is not done by other software like HOMER. The LCOE results from ECOS model are slightly higher than those obtained from the HOMER simulation.