kth.sePublications KTH
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Modeling Least-Cost Electricity Systems for Rwanda: Investigating Investments and Sustainability Aspects
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI).
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI).
2025 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Rwanda is a country experiencing rapid economic growth and increasing energy demand,requiring a sustainable and cost-effective energy strategy. The aim of this thesisis to identify the best energy investments for Rwanda by minimizing costs acrossvarious climate-related scenarios. To perform the analysis, the energy modeling toolOSeMOSYS was used in combination with the MUIO interface, enabling fast and iterativesimulations. The model structure included only imported fuels and excludedelectricity imports to simulate an energy-independent Rwanda. The results showedthat coal power dominated in the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, with hydropowerused to its maximum capacity and solar power expanding later in the period. Batterieswith solar power were only included when their capital cost was drastically reduced, indicatingtheir current cost-ineffectiveness. The discussion highlighted that the resultswere generally consistent with Rwanda Energy Group’s plan regarding hydropowerand solarpower but differed significantly in the treatment of coal and battery storageof solar power. Wind power was deemed unrealistic in the near future but potentiallycost-effective under major technological and economic improvements in very specificscenarios where high-CO2-emitting energy sources are removed from the model. Inconclusion, hydropower stands out as the most promising energy source due to its lowcost, environmental benefits, and flexibility. Solar power is also valuable but requiressupport from flexible sources such as dam-connected hydropower to reach its full potential.Coal appears to be a viable low-cost option when environmental constraints arenot considered. Battery storage of solar power, on the other hand, seems unfeasiblefor national-scale deployment under current and near-future cost projections.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Series
TRITA-SCI-GRU ; 2025:302
National Category
Physical Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-370799OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-370799DiVA, id: diva2:2002593
Educational program
Master of Science in Engineering -Engineering Physics
Examiners
Available from: 2025-10-01 Created: 2025-10-01 Last updated: 2025-10-01Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

By organisation
School of Engineering Sciences (SCI)
Physical Sciences

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

urn-nbn

Altmetric score

urn-nbn
Total: 54 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf