Several rural regions located in Africa are experiencing recurrent and even permanent problems in terms of energy production, supply, and distribution to citizens. This study was conducted to investigate the relevance of the use of a new solar technology that is gradually responding in Europe and in industrialized countries. It is about the use of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) solar panels that co-produce electricity and hot water for local use. Furthermore, in Africa, local use of solar energy can provide a share in the energy mix. This work is motivated by the lack of studies on these hybrid solar panels in tropical climates. Hence, the paper examines the potential for integration of these systems in small households. A complete PV/T system consisting of solar panels, pump, storage tank, batteries, and controllers was tested and calibrated by using the TRNSYS simulation tool. A comparative study could thus be carried out for the performance of PV/T in a tropical climate (case of the city of Koua in the Comoros) to its performance in Mediterranean and continental climates (Marseille in the south and Longwy in the northeast of France). The results quantify the performance of the PV/T in the three climates and show that the performance in the town of Koua is 44% to 54% higher than in European climates. It can be concluded from this study that the Comorian market and more generally the sub-Saharan market for PVT systems has a good potential for development.

The Union of the Comoros, located in the Indian Ocean, faces persistent energy challenges due to its geographic isolation, heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels, and underdeveloped electricity infrastructure. This study investigates the techno-economic optimization of a hybrid microgrid designed to supply electricity to a rural village in Grande Comore. The proposed system integrates photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines, a diesel generator, and battery storage. Detailed modeling and simulation were conducted using HOMER Energy, accompanied by a sensitivity analysis on solar irradiance, wind speed, and diesel price. The results indicate that the optimal configuration consists solely of PV and battery storage, meeting 100% of the annual electricity demand with a competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 0.563 USD/kWh and zero greenhouse gas emissions. Solar PV contributes over 99% of the total energy production, while wind and diesel components remain unused under optimal conditions. Furthermore, the system generates a substantial energy surplus of 63.7%, which could be leveraged for community applications such as water pumping, public lighting, or future system expansion. This study highlights the technical viability, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability of 100% solar microgrids for non-interconnected island territories. The approach provides a practical and replicable decision-support framework for decentralized energy planning in remote and vulnerable regions.

In this work, we present a feasibility study for a new hybrid power plant (PV-Wind-Diesel-Storage) directly connected to the electrical grid. Several simulations are performed to verify the performance of the hybrid system under different scenarios using real meteorological data. It is shown that the performances of the hybrid system connected to the electrical network depend obviously on the available energy resources and constraints because the renewable energies are intermittent. In addition, the price of the kWh of electricity supplied by the hybrid system is determined, which amounts to $0.209/kWh, which is very cost effective and satisfactory for the considered sample conditions (Comoros Island).

An experimental setup was developed, incorporating a monitored DualSun^® photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) panel and a weather station to continuously record real-time climatic conditions. This setup enables an hour-by-hour comparison between the actual performance observed under real-world conditions and the predictions generated by the thermal model. The generated dataset was used to evaluate a thermal model derived from the literature, comparing its predictions with measured data. The model adopts a quasi-steady-state, one-dimensional approach based on heat balance equations applied to both the photovoltaic cells and the heat transfer fluid. Conducted during the summer of 2022, the experiment provides valuable insights into the accuracy of the literature-based thermal model under summer meteorological conditions. The results show a good correlation between the experimental data and the model’s predictions. The average deviation observed for the outlet fluid temperature is 0.1 °C during the day and 1.3 °C at night. Consequently, the findings underscore the model’s effectiveness for evaluating daytime performance, while also pointing out its limitations for nighttime predictions, especially when hybrid PV/T collectors are used for applications such as nighttime free cooling.