Abstract
The imperative transition to decentralized energy systems has catalyzed the positioning of hybrid microgrids that integrate biogas derived from agricultural waste with photovoltaic solar energy as technically and economically viable alternatives for sustainable rural electrification in emerging economies. This systematic review, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 methodological guidelines, synthesizes scientific evidence from 57 studies indexed in high-impact databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, during the period 2020–2025. The bibliometric analysis reveals a 500% increase in publications, with 79% appearing in first-quartile journals. The technical and economic findings indicate energy costs ranging from USD 0.026 to 0.287/kWh, CO2 emission reductions of 61% to 96%, and the predominant use of HOMER Pro as an optimization tool in 68% of the studies. Four types of community business models were identified and characterized: agro-energy cooperatives with biomass aggregation, shared ownership schemes with distributed investment, prosumer frameworks with peer-to-peer energy trading, and community energy service companies. The most significant knowledge gap concerns the limited integration of technical optimization approaches with the design of community governance structures. The findings directly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 7, 12, and 13.
