| Summary: | Different configurations of on/off-grid-connected hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) are analyzed and compared in the present research study for optimal decision making in Sub-Saharan Africa, facing the problems of electricity deficit. A multi-criteria analysis is performed for this purpose using MATLAB software for simulation. The obtained results show that the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) corresponding to 0% power supply deficit probability (PSDP) is 0.0819 USD/kWh, 0.0925 USD/kWh, 0.3979 USD/kWh, 0.3251 USD/kWh, 0.1754 USD/kWh, 0.1641 USD/kWh, 0.5385 USD/kWh, and 1.4515 USD/kWh, respectively, for the Grid-PV/Wind/Battery, Grid-PV/Battery, Grid-Wind/Battery, Grid-Wind, PV/Wind/Battery, PV/Battery, Wind/Battery, and stand-alone Wind systems. The CO<sub>2</sub> emissions are 14,888.4 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, 16,916.6 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, 13,139.7 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, 6430.4 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, 11,439 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, 14,892.5 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, 10,252.6 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, and 1621.5 kgCO<sub>2</sub>/year, respectively, for the aforementioned systems. It is found that the Grid-connected PV/Wind/Battery is the most cost-effective system leading to a grid energy cost reduction of 30.89%. Hybridization of different renewable energy sources (RESs) could significantly improve the electricity cost and reduce the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. However, this improvement and this reduction depend on the used RES and the system configuration. On-grid-connected HRESs are more cost-effective than off-grid-connected HRES. The least polluting energy system is the stand-alone Wind system, which allows a reduction in the grid CO<sub>2</sub> emissions by 93.66%. The sensitivity analysis has proven that the long-term investment, the decrease in the battery cost, and the decrease in the discount rate could lead to the reduction in the LCOE.
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