Design and Performance Evaluation of a Standalone Hybrid PV–Biogas–Battery Microgrid for Enhanced Energy Resilience in Rural Morocco
Amine CHIGUER, Mohammed SADIK, Abderrahim FAIL
Abstract. In rural Morocco, electrification is still a difficult problem because of gaps in infrastructure and the changing prices of traditional energy sources. This research develops and evaluates a standalone hybrid microgrid integrating photovoltaic (PV) arrays, a biogas generator, and battery storage, specifically designed for a six-person household in Skoura. The system architecture features a PV array with a P&O MPPT controller, a 48 V battery bank (100–200 Ah), and a biogas unit fuelled by local livestock waste (2 cows, 3 sheep, 1 goat). Using MATLAB/Simulink under semi-arid conditions, simulations confirm full 24-hour autonomy. The PV system covers daytime loads with a 1.3 kW peak, keeping battery State of Charge (SOC) strictly between 20% and 90%. Crucially, the Energy Management System (EMS) stabilizes the 48V DC bus by triggering the biogas generator only during the evening peak (19:00–21:00). This setup prevents deep battery discharge. By replacing butane with local biomethane, this architecture offers a technically viable and economically robust solution for off-grid communities.
Keywords
Hybrid Energy System, Photovoltaic (PV), Biogas, Battery Storage, Energy Management System, Rural electrification, MATLAB/Simulink, Economic Resilience
Published online 4/25/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Amine CHIGUER, Mohammed SADIK, Abderrahim FAIL, Design and Performance Evaluation of a Standalone Hybrid PV–Biogas–Battery Microgrid for Enhanced Energy Resilience in Rural Morocco, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 64, pp 195-202, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904091-24
The article was published as article 24 of the book Energy Futures
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
References
[1] L. El-Katiri, ‘Morocco’s Green Energy Opportunity’, OCP Policy Center, PP-16/14, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.policycenter.ma
[2] A. Oulakhmis, R. Hasnaoui, and Y. Boudrik, ‘Impact Assessment of Rural Electrification Through Photovoltaic Kits on Household Expenditures and Income: The Case of Morocco’, Economies, vol. 13, p. 224, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13080224
[3] H. Erraji, M. E. Afilal, and A. Asehraou, ‘Biogas and digestate production from food waste: a case study of dome digester in Morocco’, Biomass Conv Bioref, vol. 13, pp. 10771–10780, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01999-5
[4] O. K. Overen, K. Obileke, E. L. Meyer, G. Makaka, and O. O. Apeh, ‘A Hybrid Solar–Biogas System for Post-COVID-19 Rural Energy Access’, Clean Energy, vol. 8, pp. 84–99, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/ce/zkad070
[5] F. Odoi-Yorke, S. Gyamfi, and E. Kwarteng, ‘Feasibility Analysis of Solar PV/biogas Hybrid Energy System for Rural Electrification in Ghana’, Cogent Eng., vol. 9, p. 2034376, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2022.2034376
[6] N. Ennemiri, A. Berrada, A. Emrani, J. Abdelmajid, and R. El Mrabet, ‘Optimization of an off-grid PV/biogas/battery hybrid energy system for electrification: A case study in a commercial platform in Morocco’, Energy Convers. Manag. X, vol. 21, p. 100508, Jan. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2023.100508
[7] T. F. Agajie et al., ‘Optimal Sizing and Power System Control of Hybrid Solar PV-Biogas Generator with Energy Storage System Power Plant’, Sustainability, vol. 15, p. 5739, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075739
[8] M. Nfaoui, F. E. Ihfa, and A. Bougtaib, ‘Comprehensive modeling and simulation of photovoltaic system performance by using matlab/simulink’, J Umm Al-Qura Univ Appl Sci, vol. 11, pp. 633–656, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43994-024-00175-5
[9] T. Esram and P. L. Chapman, ‘Comparison of photovoltaic array maximum power point tracking techniques’, IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 22, pp. 439–449, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEC.2006.874230
[10] M. Chen and G. A. Rincon-Mora, ‘Accurate electrical battery model capable of predicting runtime and I-V performance’, IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 504–511, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEC.2006.874229
[11] S. Aslanzadeh, K. Berg, G. Taherzadeh, R. Sárvári, and I. S. Horváth, ‘Household biogas digesters a review’, Energies, vol. 7, pp. 3801–3812, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3390/en7063801
[12] S. Habchi, N. Lahboubi, B. Sallek, and H. El Bari, ‘Response surface methodology for anaerobic digestion of waste from poultry slaughterhouse: Optimization of load and hydraulic retention time’, Results Eng., vol. 18, p. 101215, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101215
[13] H. El-houari et al., ‘Feasibility evaluation of a hybrid renewable power generation system for sustainable electricity supply in a Moroccan remote site’, J. Clean. Prod., vol. 277, p. 123534, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123534
[14] R. J. J. Molu, I. M. Mfetoum, P. L. E. Nkouna, and S. R. D. Naoussi, ‘Technical, economic, and environmental evaluation of a grid-connected hybrid PV/biogas generator/battery microgrid system’, Energy Strategy Rev., vol. 61, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2025.101819
[15] A. S. Aziz, M. F. N. Tajuddin, M. R. Adzman, M. A. M. Ramli, and S. Mekhilef, ‘Energy Management and Optimization of a PV/Diesel/Battery Hybrid Energy System Using a Combined Dispatch Strategy’, Sustainability, vol. 11, p. 683, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030683
[16] Y. Zhang, Y. Wang, and Y. Liu, ‘Dynamic performance of PV–battery systems under fluctuating solar irradiance’, Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 269, p. 116090, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116090
[17] M. Szymańska, A. Pena-Asensio, and M. E. H. Benbouzid, ‘Stability assessment of standalone DC microgrids with renewable energy sources’, Renew. Energy, vol. 216, p. 119067, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.119067
[18] R. Ghias, A. Rehman, H. I. Sherazi, O. Alrumayh, A. Alsafrani, and A. Alburidy, ‘Revolutionizing Hybrid Microgrids: Enhanced Stability and Efficiency with Nonlinear Control Strategies and Optimization’, Energies, vol. 18, no. 19, p. 5061, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18195061
[19] T. F. Agajie et al., ‘Techno-Economic Analysis and Optimization of Hybrid Renewable Energy System with Energy Storage under Two Operational Modes’, Sustainability, vol. 15, p. 11735, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511735
[20] M. Islam, M. R. Hasan, and M. E. Hossain, ‘Sustainable energy solutions for rural Bangladesh: an optimized hybrid microgrid model’, Front. Energy Res., vol. 13, p. 1652536, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2025.1652536
[21] H. W. Yan, Z. Guo, J. Wang, and J. J. Ruan, ‘Battery Lifetime Extension in a Stand-Alone Microgrid with Flexible Power Point Tracking of Photovoltaic System’, IEEE J. Emerg. Sel. Top. Power Electron., vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 2281–2290, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1109/JESTPE.2022.3212702
[22] T. Radu, S. Somerset, and A. L. M. Grub, ‘The design, development and assessment of a novel decentralised IoT-based remote monitoring of a small-scale anaerobic digester network’, J. Energy Power Technol., vol. 4, p. 039, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21926/jept.2204039
[23] S. Sharma, P. Verma, and R. Gupta, ‘IoT-based battery management system for remote battery health monitoring and optimization using machine learning’, Int. J. Innov. Sci. Res. Technol., vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 1230–1238, 2025. https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25may778
[24] S. Swami, S. Suthar, S. R. Addula, V. K. Saini, Komal, and A. Lande, ‘IoT-Based Smart Solution for Biogas Plant Operation’, in 2023 International Conference on Smart Devices (ICSD), Dehradun, India, 2024, pp. 1–5. doi: 10.1109/ICSD60021.2024.10751324
