Review of Solar-Wind Hybrid Energy Systems Evaluating the Viability of Energy Cost for Stand-Alone Solution in Remote Areas

Background: The escalating demand for sustainable energy solutions is especially pronounced in remote and off-grid regions where conventional power infrastructure is either limited or absent. In this context, the deployment of renewable energy systems—particularly solar and wind—offers a reliable, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable approach to addressing energy access challenges. Aims: The focus of this paper is to encourage the integration of solar and wind energy sources in hybrid energy systems, with particular emphasis on sustainable power generation using these renewable energy sources, especially in remote environments where connection to grid is not available, and a backup system where connection to grid exist with challenges. Study Design: It has been long that researchers are suggesting for optimum utilization of renewable energy sources, especially solar and wind that are in abundant potentials in Nigeria for power generation. This paper investigates the cost of energy when combining solar and wind energy technologies to compare with the cost of government power utility. Place and Duration of Study: This paper considers as a case study the selected offices of Mechanical Engineering Department, in the Annex Engineering site of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology Wudil, in Kano Nigeria, the research covers the period of the power utility cost hike in Nigeria, between April 2024 and October 2025. Methodology: The related existing literature were firstly reviewed, the challenges and opportunities associated with remote area energy generation were also considered. And the cost of energy generated was determined in two methods, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), which is the average cost of the unit per kWh generated by the system and is calculated by the ratio of the total annualized cost of the system to the total electrical load served. The second method is the simulation of hybrid energy system to obtain the hybrid optimization model of the cost of energy, in which the specifications of the system components installed were configured and simulated in the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software, to analyze and compare the calculated and simulated results with the Government utility cost. Results: The results from the cost of energy generated shows that the calculated cost of energy in solar-wind hybrid system is 9.52 Cent / kWh, while that of the simulation of hybrid energy system is 9.0 Cent / kWh. These compared to the cost of government electricity utility currently at 14.27 Cent per kWh, which clearly indicates how cost of energy in solar-wind hybrid energy system is cheaper and cost competitive compared to that of band A government utility, which is the highest electricity plan in Nigeria meant for industrial and urban areas. Conclusion: it’s obvious that challenges exist in managing the technical complexities of remote area energy generation, but the opportunities also lie in harnessing the abundant resources. Also, considering the results of the cost of energy generated, solar-wind hybrid energy system stand viable for use in the study site and off-grid locations. It’s also cost-competitive in addition to its added reliability compared to government power utility. Hence, it can stand as the good power solution for remote environments.