Origination of a Systems Engineering Framework for the Design and Optimisation of Distributed Renewable Energy Systems in Nigerian Off-Grid Rural Communities

The design of distributed renewable energy systems for off-grid rural communities in Nigeria currently lacks a comprehensive systems engineering framework that simultaneously optimises technical performance, economic viability, social acceptance, and long-term operational sustainability within the complex institutional and infrastructure constraints of the Nigerian rural context, resulting in a high rate of installed system abandonment and sub-optimal community energy service outcomes. This research originates a novel systems engineering framework for the holistic design and optimisation of distributed renewable energy systems in Nigerian off-grid rural communities, integrating multi-energy system simulation, multi-objective optimisation, socio-technical system design theory, and business model innovation for community energy enterprises. The framework employs a hierarchical optimisation architecture in which a HOMER Pro-based energy system simulation engine is coupled with a meta-heuristic multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to generate energy system design Pareto fronts balancing levelised cost of energy, unmet energy fraction, and renewable fraction objectives. A novel socio-technical feasibility scoring model, developed through structured community engagement protocols and validated in pilot communities in Kebbi, Ondo, and Borno States, evaluates non-technical system design parameters including community governance capacity, willingness to pay distributions, and maintenance skill availability. The coupled framework is applied to twelve communities across three geopolitical zones, generating zone-specific design guideline recommendations. A theoretical contribution to systems engineering methodology is made through the formalisation of the socio-technical feasibility scoring model and its integration into the multi-objective optimisation architecture. Keywords: distributed energy systems, off-grid communities, systems engineering, multi-objective optimisation, rural electrification Nigeria.