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Potential of Autonomous/Off-Grid Hybrid Wind-Diesel Power System for Electrification of a Remote Settlement in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
In the present study, hourly mean wind-speed data recorded at Rafha, Saudi Arabia, have been analyzed for the potential of utilising autonomous hybrid (wind-diesel) power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote settlement, namely Rawdhat Bin Habbas, near Rafha and with a population of 10,000 and having an annual electrical energy demand of 13,200 MWh. The monthly average wind speeds range from 2.7 m/s to 4.2 m/s at 10 m height. The hybrid systems considered consist of different combinations of 1.3 MW commercial wind machines supplemented with diesel generators. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) HOMER software has been used to evaluate the potential of hybrid wind-diesel power systems.
The study indicates that for a hybrid system consisting of 3.9 MW (three 1.3 MW wind machines, 50 m hub-height) wind farm capacity together with 4.5 MW diesel system (three 1.5 MW units), the simulated wind penetration is 24 %. The cost of electricity from this hybrid configuration is calculated to be 0.078 /litre). The results confirm that the number of operational hours of diesel generators in this wind-diesel system decreases with increase in wind farm capacity. Emphasised are: wind penetration, reducing excess energy production, un-met load, cost of energy, effect of hub-height on energy production, fuel-savings/reduction-in-carbon-emissions (relative to the diesel-only situation).
... In this paper, environmental and economic analyses are used to discuss the sustainability of a hybrid power system. An investigation is made on small-scale operations of 100kWh per day HPS as a stand-alone power generation system consisting of solar (photovoltaic) and wind energy [3][4][5][6][7][8]. ...
... Village hybrid power system can range in size from small household systems (100Wh/day) to ones supplying a whole area (10MWh/day ).Village scale hybrid power system can be distinguished into two Micro grids and Mini grids . The components of Micro-Grid (100 kWh/day ) power system are wind, PV, Batteries and conventional generator which provide DC power .Mini-Grid power systems (700 kWh/day) uses the same components ,just more of them and larger to provide AC power .The various combinations of hybrid system are PV-Wind, PV-Fuel cell, PV-Wind -Fuel cell, PV-Wind-Battery etc. Hybrid system provide certain advantages over a single resource like lower energy cost ,high reliability, low maintenance, flexibility, longer equipment life and utility grade potential [4][5][6][7][8]. ...
In this report, a hybrid power system has been designed considering photovoltaic, wind turbine generator and diesel generator. HOMER software has been used for analyzing the performance of the system. Different performance analysis like feasibility, sensitivity, cost, and sustainability has been done. Environmental and economic analysis is used to discuss the sustainability of a hybrid power system. Primary ac loads for 24 hours, solar resource and wind resource inputs for a year are used. Analysis reveals that the hybrid system with photovoltaic, diesel generator, wind turbine give better performance in terms of cost and sensitivity.
... Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to use in the design and the planning of renewable energy generation based microgrids. HOMER is used worldwide as a tool to utilize renewable energy sources (1)(2)(3)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) . Three mainly tasks, i.e. simulation, optimization, and sensitivity analysis are performed in HOMER to analyze behavior or renewable energy supply system and its lifecycle cost. ...
... For this task a tool called HOMER (version 2.8 beta) was used. There exist many references of using HOMER as a simulation tool including (Nfah, Ngundam, Vandenbergh, & Schmid, 2008;Rehman, El-Amin, Ahmad, Shaahid, Al-Shehri, Bakhashwain, & Shash, 2007;Georgilakis, 2005;Khan, & Iqbal, 2005;Shaahid, El-Amin, Rehman, Al-Shehri, Bakashwain, & Ahmad, 2004;Lilienthal, Lambert, & Gilman, 2004) etc. ...
Renaissance University, Agbani has a research institute with internet facility that accommodates 200 computers for student training, research and browsing. This facility becomes impossible to run due to the inability of the public utility to provide steady, reliable and efficient power. A 250KVA generating set was denoted by the school Administration and latter installed for this facility. After the installation, the facility cut off from public utility and depends wholly on Diesel generator. From experience with the performance of the existing generating sets as regards emissions and operating costs due to high cost of maintenance and diesel, a hybrid system (Diesel-Solar PV) was proposed. This paper investigates and analyzes the economic and environmental benefits of the proposed project to existing diesel generator. From the analyses, the proposed system (solar PV-diesel) has less total net present cost and less emission as a result of less fuel consumption and higher efficiency operation of the diesel genset when compared to the existing system (diesel only).
... The global installed capacity of solar power is expected to reach 207 GWp by 2020 (the cost of solar modules is likely to go down to US$1 per Watt delivered). Also, the projections indicate that by 2020 solar systems can provide energy to over a billion people globally and provide 2.3 million full-time jobs [24] The research on feasibility of renewable energy systems at Dhahran, has been the subject matter of several earlier studies [25][26][27][28][29]. In the present work, the economic analysis of utilization of hybrid PV-diesel-battery power systems to meet the load of a typical residential building (with annual electrical energy demand of 35,120 kWh) in Yanbu (24 07' N, 38 03' E, West coast) western province of K.S.A. has been studied by analyzing long-term (1971 -1980) solar radiation data. ...
In view of growing concerns of global warming and depleting oil/gas reserves, many nations are considering use of hybrid photovoltaic-diesel technology as an option for power generation The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has higher level of solar radiation and is a prospective candidate for deployment of solar photovoltaic systems. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in the Kingdom consume about 10-45% of the total electric energy generated. The aim of this study is to analyze solar radiation data in city of Yanbu to assess the technoeconomic feasibility of utilizing hybrid photovoltaic-diesel-battery power systems to meet the load of a typical residential building. The monthly average daily solar global radiation ranges from 3.61 to 7.90 kWh/m2 . National Renewable Energy Laboratory?s HOMER software has been used in the study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system, composed of 4 kWp photovoltaic system together with 10 kW diesel system, and a battery storage of 3 hours of autonomy (average load), the photovoltaic penetration is 21%. The cost of generating energy from that hybrid system has been found to be 0.180 $/kWh. With use of this hybrid system, about 2 tons per year of carbon emissions can be avoided entering into the local atmosphere. Also, for a given hybrid configuration, the operational time of diesel generators has been found to decrease with increase in photovoltaic capacity. The investigation examines impact of photovoltaic penetration on: carbon emissions, diesel fuel consumption, net present cost, cost of energy, etc.
... The characteristics and capabilities of HOMER have been explained in detail above and have previously been used (Khan and Iqbal, 2005;Nfah et al., 2008;Rehman et al., 2007;Georgilakis, 2005;Shaahid et al., 2004;Lilienthal et al., 2004). ...
This paper explores the best energy options by which optimized energy solution for a given GSM base station site locatied in Nembe can be made. The concept of hybridizing renewable energy sources is that the base load is to be covered by available renewable source(s) and other intermittent source(s) should augment the base load to cover the peak load of the base station site. The study is based on modeling, simulation, and optimization of the hybrid energy system located in Nembe (Bayelsa state), Nigeria. The patterns of load consumption by mobile base stations in Nembe are studied and modeled suitably for optimization using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software. Various renewable/alternative energy sources, energy storage, and their applicability in terms of cost and performance, as well as a diesel generator were discussed. The proposed hybrid [(solar, wind & hydro) + DG] system was simulated using the model which results in eight different topologies: (solar, wind & hydro) + DG, (solar & hydro) + DG, (wind & hydro) + DG, hydro only + DG, (solar & wind) + DG, solar only + DG, wind only + DG, and DG. Total economic costs [net present cost (NPC)] and the environment impact (pollutant emissions in tons of CO2) generated are used as indices for measuring the optimization level of each energy solution, and the option with the highest optimization value is considered to be the best energy solution for the base station site. The quantitative results of the study (as reported here) show that the hybrid power system can be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly in providing energy to a GSM base station site than diesel generators.
... Studies have shown that hybrid energy systems are also feasible for water pumping systems especially for remote localities (Rehman and El-Amin, 2015;Rehman and Sahin, 2012). Numerous studies were conducted on the subject to analyze feasibility of a wind-PV-diesel hybrid power system (Ajao et al., 2011;Al-Abbadi and Rehman, 2009;Bassyouni et al., 2015;Elhadidy, 2002;Juhari et al., 2007;Rehman and Al-Abbadi, 2007, 2008Rehman and Al-Hadhrami, 2010;Rehman and El-Amin, 2015;Rehman and Sahin, 2015;Shaahid et al., 2004. This paper presents a design process, for the selection of hybrid energy system components, and economic analysis for providing electricity for a remote area, Nooriabad, Pakistan. ...
The use of renewable energy is increasing all over the world. These resources provide clean energy without giving rise to pollution. Current study discussed the feasibility of providing electricity by using hybrid power system (photovoltaic/wind/diesel) to a distant hypothetical village, population of 100 households with an average of five family members per household. The study area, Nooriabad, lies in Sind, Pakistan (latitude=25.17°N, longitude=67.8°E and site elevation =180m above the mean sea level). Current study showed that the proposed hybrid system could be a viable solution for off-grid supply of electric power to remote areas in Pakistan. In the present case, a daily energy consumption of 205kWh and a peak power demand of 47kW were considered. The implementation of this project will result in the reduction of 69% in greenhouse gases addition in the local atmosphere of the chosen site. The photovoltaic/wind/diesel/battery hybrid system is found to be an attractive option with levelized cost of energy of 0.45 $/kWh and with renewable energy penetration of 84%. The sensitivity analysis showed that photovoltaic/wind/diesel/battery hybrid configuration is the only feasible system under given variations of different parameters.
... For this task a tool called HOMER (version 2.8 beta) was used. There exist many references of using HOMER as a simulation tool including (Nfah, Ngundam, Vandenbergh, & Schmid, 2008;Rehman, El-Amin, Ahmad, Shaahid, Al-Shehri, Bakhashwain, & Shash, 2007;Georgilakis, 2005;Khan, & Iqbal, 2005;Shaahid, El-Amin, Rehman, Al-Shehri, Bakashwain, & Ahmad, 2004;Lilienthal, Lambert, & Gilman, 2004) etc. ...
Renaissance University, Agbani has a research institute with internet facility that accommodates 200 computers for student training, research and browsing. This facility becomes impossible to run due to the inability of the public utility to provide steady, reliable and efficient power. A 250KVA generating set was denoted by the school Administration and latter installed for this facility. After the installation, the facility cut off from public utility and depends wholly on Diesel generator. From experience with the performance of the existing generating sets as regards emissions and operating costs due to high cost of maintenance and diesel, a hybrid system (Diesel-Solar PV) was proposed. This paper investigates and analyzes the economic and environmental benefits of the proposed project to existing diesel generator. From the analyses, the proposed system (solar PV-diesel) has less total net present cost and less emission as a result of less fuel consumption and higher efficiency operation of the diesel genset when compared to the existing system (diesel only).
... The analyses in this paper have been conducted using the HOMER model, which is a leading micro-power optimisation tool for off-grid and grid-connected hybrid renewable energy systems; it has been used for a large number of analyses published in peerreviewed journal articles, including [6,8,10,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. The model has been validated through its ability to replicate existing energy systems, such as calculating the same fuel demands as revealed by energy statistics. ...
... During optimization process, analyses were carried out and the best possible design and configurations were obtained. There exist many references of using HOMER as a simulation tool [7][8][9][10][11][12]. This study concerns with the design, simulation and optimization of PV-Battery system for electricity production using HOMER software. ...
There are cases of disenfranchising eligible voters during registration exercises due to unreliable power supply or no access to electricity in powering the Direct Data Capturing Machines (DDCMs) that is used for the registration of voters in polling stations or registration centres. This paper proposes to design an optimized PV-Battery energy system with an energy management system that will be used to control the operations of power supply (supply the load and charge the Battery) at the registration centres in Nigeria. This research is focused on the simulation of Photovoltaic power generation system with energy storage and management system for off-grid voter registration centres in two locations - Nkanu-West (Enugu State - which covers the southern part of the nation) and Kaura (Kaduna State - covering the northern part of the nation). The developed power control system was used to study the operations of the PV-Battery energy system. From the control output results, it was shown that the load and the supplied energy is efficiently and rationally utilized. A simulation analysis was performed using hybrid optimization model for electric renewables (HOMER) software and the results indicate that the most optimized PVBattery power system for energy consumption of 2.3kWh/day with a 235W peak demand load consists of 0.9 kW solar PV array, 9 Hoppecke 24 OPzS 300 Battery and a 1kW DC/AC inverter. This energy system can be used in any other registration exercises such as the National Identity Registration or Examination registration etc., and may also be applied to other regions of the country.
... Other renewable energy technologies (wind, photovoltaics) can also contribute significantly to the energy balance of GCC countries (Doukas et al., 2006). Interesting applications include also hybrid (wind and diesel) power generation units (Shaahid et al., 2004). ...
This article presents the state of play and possibilities of Europan Union- Gulf Cooperation Council (EU-GCC) cooperation. Furthermore, it argues that the development of an EU-GCC “Clean Energy” Network of academic-research and business (commercial, industrial, etc.) entities may catalyze developments in the GCC in the field of clean energy. This would be achieved though the reinforcement of cooperation (at the level of research, technology, and industry), dissemination of information, and advice on clean energy policies, capacity building, and exchange of know-how, and exploration of possibilities for joint projects (both technological research and pilot industrial scale projects).
... Research work related to renewable energy in Saudi Arabia has been subject matter of several earlier studies [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. In the present study, long-term wind speed data (of the period 1970-1982) of Taif ( Western Province of K.S.A.) has been analyzed to assess the techno-economic feasibility of development of wind power plant (wind farm). ...
In the present study, the economic feasibility of development of 15 MW wind power plant (wind farm) at Taif, Western Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A) has been investigated by analyzing long-term wind speed data. Western province has relatively better wind energy resources. Data analysis indicates that monthly average wind speeds of Taif (21 29’ N, 40 32’ E) range from 3.1 to 4.8 m/s at 10 m height. The wind farms simulated consist of different combinations of 600 kW commercial wind machines (50 m hub-height). NREL's (HOMER Energy's) HOMER software has been employed to perform the techno-economic assessment.
... All variables with full detailed specifications were considered for all available energy resources in the selected location for the hybrid station. [6][7][8][9][10][11] ...
Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software was utilized to find the optimum design of a hybrid micro-power energy station by minimizing the cost of energy based on different capacity shortage percentages. A full investigation of site conditions and restrictions was done to optimize the design and implementation of a hybrid power station. In addition, this paper took into consideration the economic impact and design tradeoffs in order to optimize the cost and performance of the energy system. Many combinations of conventional and renewable energy resources were considered for this hybrid energy station. From the analysis of the HOMER model results, the optimum hybrid power station was suggested, based on the current fuel price, wind speed, and solar conditions. The optimization function objective is to minimize the Net Price Cost (NPC) and the Cost of Energy (COE) with zero percentage of capacity shortage.
... In order to ensure stable and continuous power, a hybrid power system including more than one type of energy component is introduced [8]. In hot arid region, it was seen some researchers studying on the feasibility of using a hybrid power system [9][10][11][12]. Mahmoudi et al. [13] investigated the weather data (hourly wind speed and daily solar radiation) for hybrid power system in arid coastal countries. ...
Increased concern about energy crisis and environmental issues has revitalized interest in the application of renewable energy technologies. For ensuring steady and continuous electricity generations, a hybrid power system (HPS) including more than one renewable energy elements is introduced. In this paper, environmental and economic analyses are used to discuss the sustainability of a HPS. An investigation is made on small-scale operations of 100kWh per day HPS as a grid-assisted power generation consisting of solar (photovoltaic) and wind energy. A comparison is drawn among the different configurations of a grid-connected HPS operation focusing on environmental and economic impacts. Emissions and the renewable energy generation fraction (RF) of total energy consumption are calculated as the main environmental indicator. Costs including net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE) are calculated for economic evaluation. To simulate long-term continuous implementation of the HPS, the hourly mean global solar radiation and wind speed data of 2007, from Alice Spring (23.70 S , 133.88 E ) of Australia, are used as an example of a typical hot arid climate. The monthly solar exposure between 13.31 and 21.3 2 MJ m day and mean wind speed of 7.13 / in 2007 is considered for simulation The Micropower Optimization Model software HOMER developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA is used for simulation. It is found that, for Alice Spring arid climates, the optimum results of HPS show a 64.3% reduction of emissions including 2 CO , 2 SO , and x NO . Renewable fraction of the optimized system is 54%. It is also found that the HPS has benefits of cost saving. The reduced NPC and COE are only equal to about 85.3% of energy consumption from standard grid. In addition, through a set of sensitivity analysis, it is found that the wind speed has more effects on the environmental and economic performance of a HPS under the specific climate.
... HOMER is also used to simulate a standalone PV system to power a health clinic in southern Iraq [32], a homestead in West Australia [33]. HOMER has been used extensively in feasibility studies of stand-alone wind-diesel systems in Saudi Arabia [34,35], Algeria [36] and Alaska [14], a hybrid solar-wind system in Bangladesh [15], a small Hydro/PV/Wind hybrid system in Ethiopia [16], and a hybrid microhydro-PV system in Africa [17]. ...
... The research on viability of renewable energy systems at KSA has been the subject matter of several earlier studies (Elhadidy and Shaahid 1998, 1999, 2000Shaahid and Elhadidy 2007;Shaahid et al. 2004). The aim of this study is to analyze solar radiation data (of the period 1971-1980) and wind speed data (of the year 2003) of Rafha (29 • 38 N, 43 • 29 E, North East, KSA), and to assess the technical and economic potential of hybrid wind-PV-diesel power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote village, Rawdhat Bin Habbas (RBH), with annual electrical energy demand of 15,943 MWh (for the year 2003). ...
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Recent climatic anomalies such as hot summers, cold winters, hurricanes, and cyclones
are all reflections of global warming due to burning of fossil fuels. To combat unprecedented
global warming and to mitigate future energy challenges, there is worldwide interest
in utilization of renewable sources of energy such as solar-photovoltaic (solar-PV) and wind
energy. Other driving forces paving avenue for renewable energy include rapid escalation in
oil prices, growing concerns regarding depletion of oil/gas reserves, etc. Retrofitting of diesel
systems with hybrid wind-PV-diesel systems is being widely disseminated to reduce diesel
fuel consumption and to minimize atmospheric degradation. One of the potential market
for deployment of hybrid systems is in remote locations which are driven by diesel generators.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a number of remote villages scattered all
over the Kingdom. The aim of this study is to analyze wind speed and solar radiation data
of Rafha, KSA, and to assess the technical and economic potential of hybrid wind-PV-diesel
power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote village Rawdhat Bin Habbas
(RBH) with annual electrical energy demand of 15,943 MWh. Rafha is located near RBH.
The monthly average wind speeds range from 2.99 m/s to 4.84 m/s at 10 m height. The
monthly average daily global solar radiation ranges from 3.04 to 7.3 kWh/sq.m. The hybrid
systems simulated consist of different combinations of 600 kW wind machines, PV panels,
supplemented by diesel generators. National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL)
Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software has been used to
perform the techno-economic study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system
comprising of 1.2 MW wind farm capacity (two 600 kW units, 50 m hub-height) and
1.2 MW of PV capacity together with 4.5 MW diesel system (three 1.5 MW units), the renewable
energy fraction with 0% annual capacity shortage is 24% (10% wind + 14% PV). The
cost of generating energy (COE) from this hybrid wind-PV-diesel system has been found
to be 0.118 /l”). The study exhibits that for a
given hybrid configuration, the number of operational hours of diesel generators decreases
with increase in wind farm and PV capacity. Attention has also been focused on wind/PV
penetration, unmet load, excess electricity generation, percentage of fuel savings and reduction
in carbon emissions (relative to diesel-only situation) of different hybrid systems, cost
breakdown of wind-PV-diesel systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc.
... The analyses in this paper have been conducted using the HOMER model, which is a leading micro-power optimisation tool for off-grid and grid-connected hybrid renewable energy systems; it has been used for a large number of analyses published in peerreviewed journal articles, including [6,8,10,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. The model has been validated through its ability to replicate existing energy systems, such as calculating the same fuel demands as revealed by energy statistics. ...
One potential solution for stand-alone power generation is to use hybrid energy systems with hydrogen storage. In this paper, the physical behaviour of a hydrogen energy system with renewables has been numerically simulated and experimentally re-enacted. A reference household in Slovenia's coastal region was used to identify the optimal energy system design, by considering the geographical location, availability of energy sources, actual load dynamics, and components’ technical and economical characteristics. The results show that optimal electricity supply is technically feasible with a 100% renewable system, consisting of wind turbines and solar photovoltaic arrays, including hydrogen technologies (electrolyser, hydrogen tank, fuel cell). The optimal feasible system capacity (33 kW), with the lowest total net present cost (€136,063), is approximately eight times larger than the peak power demand (3.8 kW). The experimental work was performed at hydrogen laboratory facilities. Experiments proved the possibility of alternative uses of existing industrial hydrogen technology for balancing power supply and demand, with a mere 3% deviation from numerical results
... The problem can be viewed as a simple extension of a system based on diesel, with additional modules, wind turbines and a plant [5,6]. The isolated system and the system connected to the grid must be compared [7,8]. Contribution to sustainable development is an additional motivation for everyone involved [9,10]. ...
The differential pricing for peak hours encourages industrial consumers to look for independent power supplies for the period from 19 to 22 hours. This paper presents a study to identify the optimal solution for a recycled paper mill that also intends to work in that period. The factory is located in Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, and considers the use of a diesel gen set, a micro hydro power plant and possibly PV modules. Two micro hydro power plants were considered in the study, an old plant to be renewed and another to be fully implemented. The software Homer was used as a tool to determine the most feasible combination of components considered in the study. The sale of surplus power to the energy system appears as a key to viability of alternatives that are not based solely on diesel generators. The optimal solution consists of a combination of diesel generators and micro hydro power plant, in one case, and only on hydroelectric power plant in another, with a significant penetration of PV modules if its cost is reduced to 12% of the current price, selling an amount of energy equal to that which is bought. The annual water availability in one of the sites requires diesel supplement, while the other, more abundant, this supplement is not necessary.
... The global installed capacity of solar power is expected to reach 207 GWp by 2020. Also, the projections indicate that by 2020 solar systems can provide energy to over a billion people globally and provide 2.3 million full-time jobs [24] The research on feasibility of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia has been subject matter of several earlier studies [25][26][27][28][29]. In the present work, the economic analysis of utilization of hybrid PV-diesel-battery power systems to meet the load of a typical residential building (with annual electrical energy demand of 35,120 kWh) in different provinces of K.S.A. has been studied by analyzing long-term (1971-1980) solar radiation data. ...
Presently, the world is considering renewable solar energy as an indispensable/long-term/nature-friendly option for power generation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A) is blessed with considerable amount of solar radiation. Commercial/residential buildings in K.S.A. consume about 10-45% of the total electric energy. In the present paper, the economic analysis of utilization of hybrid PV-diesel-battery power systems to meet the load of a typical residential building (with annual electrical energy demand of 35,120 kWh) in different provinces/zones of K.S.A. has been studied by analyzing long-term solar radiation data. Five geographically distinct sites representing different provinces of the Kingdom have been selected. The monthly average daily solar radiation of K.S.A. varies from 3.03-7.51 kWh/m2. NREL's (HOMER Energy's) HOMER software has been employed to perform the analysis.
... For ensuring stable and continuous power, a hybrid renewable energy system including more than one type of energy component, is often used [2]. Some researchers have studied the feasibility of using a hybrid renewable energy system in the arid region891011. Mahmoudi et al. [12] investigated the weather data (hourly wind speed and solar radiation) for hybrid renewable energy system arid coastal countries. They assessed the feasibility of using HRES (wind + solar) in the Arabian Gulf country of Oman. ...
In this paper, an investigation is made on large-scale operations of 95 MW per day hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) as a grid power generation consisting of solar and wind energy. A comparison is drawn between a grid-connected HRES and a standard grid operation focusing on environmental and economic impacts. Emissions and the renewable energy generation fraction (RF) of total energy consumption are calculated as the main environmental indicator. Costs including net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE) are calculated for economic evaluation. To simulate the HRES, the hourly mean global solar radiation, temperature and wind speed data from Adrar (27.59°N, 0.11°W) of Algeria, are used as an example of a typical arid climate. HOMER is used for simulation. It is found that the optimum results of HRES show a 22% reduction of emissions including CO2, SO2 and NOx. The RF of the optimized system is 22%. It is also found that the reduced NPC and COE are only equal to about 99% of energy consumption from standard grid. In addition, through a set of sensitivity analysis, it is found that the wind speed has more effects on the environmental and economic performance of a HRES.
... The research on viability of renewable energy systems at KSA has been the subject matter of several earlier studies (Elhadidy and Shaahid 1998, 1999, 2000Shaahid and Elhadidy 2007;Shaahid et al. 2004). The aim of this study is to analyze solar radiation data (of the period 1971-1980) and wind speed data (of the year 2003) of Rafha (29 • 38 N, 43 • 29 E, North East, KSA), and to assess the technical and economic potential of hybrid wind-PV-diesel power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote village, Rawdhat Bin Habbas (RBH), with annual electrical energy demand of 15,943 MWh (for the year 2003). ...
Recent climatic anomalies such as hot summers, cold winters, hurricanes, and cyclones are all reflections of global warming due to burning of fossil fuels. To combat unprecedented global warming and to mitigate future energy challenges, there is worldwide interest in utilization of renewable sources of energy such as solar-photovoltaic (solar-PV) and wind energy. Other driving forces paving avenue for renewable energy include rapid escalation in oil prices, growing concerns regarding depletion of oil/gas reserves, etc. Retrofitting of diesel systems with hybrid wind-PV-diesel systems is being widely disseminated to reduce diesel fuel consumption and to minimize atmospheric degradation. One of the potential market for deployment of hybrid systems is in remote locations which are driven by diesel generators. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a number of remote villages scattered all over the Kingdom. The aim of this study is to analyze wind speed and solar radiation data of Rafha, KSA, and to assess the technical and economic potential of hybrid wind-PV-diesel power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical remote village Rawdhat Bin Habbas (RBH) with annual electrical energy demand of 15,943 MWh. Rafha is located near RBH. The monthly average wind speeds range from 2.99 m/s to 4.84 m/s at 10 m height. The monthly average daily global solar radiation ranges from 3.04 to 7.3 kWh/sq.m. The hybrid systems simulated consist of different combinations of 600 kW wind machines, PV panels, supplemented by diesel generators. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software has been used to perform the techno-economic study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system comprising of 1.2 MW wind farm capacity (two 600 kW units, 50 m hub-height) and 1.2 MW of PV capacity together with 4.5 MW diesel system (three 1.5 MW units), the renewable energy fraction with 0% annual capacity shortage is 24% (10% wind + 14% PV). The cost of generating energy (COE) from this hybrid wind-PV-diesel system has been found to be 0.118 /l”). The study exhibits that for a given hybrid configuration, the number of operational hours of diesel generators decreases with increase in wind farm and PV capacity. Attention has also been focused on wind/PV penetration, unmet load, excess electricity generation, percentage of fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (relative to diesel-only situation) of different hybrid systems, cost breakdown of wind-PV-diesel systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc.
... or GH WindFarmer (http://www.garradhassan.com) can also be used for such feasibility study. But HOMER was selected since it is well tested free software from National Renewable Energy Laboratory USA and it has been used for similar feasibilities study [5,6]. ...
The largest commercial thermal generating plant in Newfoundland is in Holyrood, Conception Bay. It has a generating capacity of 500 MW of electricity. During peak generation (winter months), the plant runs at near capacity with generation reaching as high as 500 MW. In addition to thermal generation about 900 MW is supplied to the grid by a number of hydro plants. This paper presents a pre-feasibility study of 25% of thermal power generation using wind turbines in the Holyrood area. Purpose of supplementing power generation from the thermal plant is to reduce emissions and fuel costs. Simulation results indicate that 16 Enercon's E-66, 2 MW wind turbines if installed near the site will provide a 25% renewable fraction. Supplementing 25% of the generation at Holyrood with wind power will reduce the cost of energy by CA$0.013/kWh. It will also reduce carbon emissions by almost 200,000 tons/year. This study indicates that a wind farm project at the Holyrood thermal generation station site is feasible.
... Other renewable energy technologies (wind, photovoltaics) can also contribute significantly to the energy balance of GCC countries (Doukas et al., 2006). Interesting applications include also hybrid (wind and diesel) power generation units (Shaahid et al., 2004). ...
The enhancement of EU-GCC cooperation on energy issues could be significantly facilitated from the establishment and operation of an EU GGC clean energy network (EU-GCC CLEANERGY.NET). CLEANERGY.NET would have to act as a catalyst and a coordinator for EU-GCC energy cooperation on different levels: research, technology and industry, but also on the level of energy policy, through dissemination of information regarding EU policies and practices in fields such as renewable energy (RE), electricity interconnections, tariffs for electricity and gas, climate change, energy efficiency and DSM, etc. The smooth cooperation of EU and GCC key energy players is considered a necessity for the success of such a challenging undertake. In this respect, the aim of this paper is to provide recommendations for an applicable organisation of the CLEANERGY.NET that would be able to act as an important driver to foster EU-GCC cooperation.
... These solar photo-voltaic panels are self draining and cleaning and have maximum reliability [28]. Such systems are extremely useful for remote locations where usage of conventional power (oil and gas) is difficult, since alternative options, such as batteries or diesel generators are expensive (maintenance, fuel supply) [29]. ...
The cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should be broadened, deepened and become more interactive due to GCC states’ accession to the Kyoto protocol in 2005. Nowadays, the GCC states start putting climate change and its business opportunities on the top of their priorities’ list towards the accomplishment of the sustainable development goals. However, the level of development of sustainable energy investments (renewable energy, CO2 sequestration and rational use of energy) is low until now in the GCC. For the above reason, the assessment of appropriate investments needs to be taken into account both by the governments in order to design the appropriate framework for supporting them and the project investors to identify the commercially profitable ones. In this framework, the aim of this paper is the identification and assessment of sustainable energy investments in the framework of the EU–GCC co-operation.
... However, none of these models are either publicly or commercially available. HOMER was chosen as the primary application for this study as it has been used extensively in previous RES case studies4849505152535455 and in RES validation tests [46,56575859606162. Although simulations can take a long time, depending on the number of variables used (up to 48 h on a standard PC for some hydrogen storage configurations), its operation is simple and straightforward. ...
This paper provides a feasibility analysis of renewable energy supply (RES) for a stand-alone supply large-scale tourist operation (with over 100 beds). The analysis utilises the power load data from a hotel located in a subtropical coastal area of Queensland, Australia. The assessment criteria of the analysis are net present cost, renewable factor and payback time. Due to the limited number of RES case studies in tourist operations and the absence of studies for large resorts, requiring facilities with a higher degree of comfort such as air-conditioning, it is not possible to establish with confidence the viability of RES in this industry. The specific operational characteristics of the tourism accommodation sector, such as 24-h operation, comfort provision and low tolerance for failure necessitates a separate assessment of RES viability for this sector, rather than relying on similar assessments from other commercial sectors. This study uses RES assessment software tools, HOMER (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US) and HYBRIDS (Solaris Homes, Queensland, Australia), in order to compare diesel generator-only, RES-only and RES/diesel hybrid technologies. HOMER uses hourly load data, whilst HYBRIDS uses average daily energy demand for each month. The modelling results demonstrate that RES, in principle, has the potential to adequately and reliably meet power demand for a stand-alone large-scale tourist accommodation. Optimisation modelling demonstrates that 100% of power demand can be supplied by a RES-only configuration. A hybrid diesel/RES configuration provides the lowest NPC result with a resultant RF of 76%. In comparison to the diesel generator-only configuration, NPC is reduced by 50% and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 65%. The payback time of the hybrid RES scenario is 4.3 years. Results indicate that wind energy conversion systems (WECS), rather than photovoltaics, are the most economically viable RES for large-scale operations. Large-scale WECS (over 1000 kW) are more efficient and economical than multiple small-scale WECS (0.1–100 kW). Both modelling tools produced similar results, with HYBRIDS producing on average slightly higher NPC results than HOMER. The modelling and resulting data from the analysis indicate that RES is technically feasible and economically viable as a replacement for conventional thermal energy supply for large-scale tourist operations dependent on stand-alone power supplies.
... Modeling software for distributed power was used to examine the research aims. HOMER (a public domain software produced by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US [44]) was chosen as the primary application for this study due to its extensive use in previous RES case studies [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] and RES validation tests [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]. ...
This study presents ail analysis of the technical and financial viability of grid-only, RES-only and grid/RES hybrid power supply configurations for a large-scale grid-connected hotel (over 100 beds). Assessment criteria comprised net present cost (NPC), renewable fraction (RF) and payback time. The RES software HOMER (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US) was utilised as the assessment tool with modeling performed with hourly load data input from a hotel located in a Subtropical coastal area of Queensland, Australia. The results demonstrate that RES, in principle, has the potential to Supply significant power for a large-scale tourist accommodation, in conjunction with the grid-electricity supply. Optimisation modeling demonstrated that, at 2004 prices, the NPC of the grid/RES hybrid configuration is comparable with the grid-only supply and resulted in a RF of 73%, a payback time of 14 years and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 65%. Optimisation modeling also showed that whilst a RES-only configuration can potentially supply 100% of power demand, such a configuration is presently uneconomical given Current electricity costs. Results indicate that wind energy conversion systems (WECS), rather than photovoltaics, are the most economically viable RES technology for large-scale grid-connected operations. Specifically, large-scale WECS (over 1000 kW) are more efficient and more economical than multiple small-scale WECS (0.1-100 kW). Hydrogen fuel cells and storage are presently uneconomical in grid-connected configurations. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that operations that rely on grid-only supply are more economically susceptible to escalations in electricity costs and the imposition of carbon taxes, in comparison to grid/RES hybrids. Indeed, at present electricity prices, which have nearly quadrupled since 2004, the grid/RES hybrid is more economical over a 20-year span than the grid-only system, with a NPC which is 50% lower, and a payback time of 4.5 years. The analysis demonstrates that RES is both technically feasible and economically viable as ail addition to grid-connected supply for large-scale tourist operations, and should become more attractive as costs of conventional supplies increase
This study, therefore, greatly explores how self-generated AI-powered autonomic micro solar power grid systems in disparate areas improve fresh energy generation and minimize carbon emissions. Expanding upon prior studies (Kaur et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2015), it assesses the application of sophisticated AI methodologies for Predictive Maintenance, Demand Forecasting, and Adaptive Energy Management in fifteen disparate regions using a two-year multiple-baseline design. The performance was impressive, and an increase in energy efficiency was recorded by up to 278%, a reduction in carbon emissions by 213%, and an increase in energy accessibility by 203%. In reaching the visibility of likely system faults and implementing corrective action, here are the rates of success in the achieved predictive maintenance: 89 percent. The rate of success in demand forecasting through machine learning is 92 percent. Another indication that bolstered the economic analyses was the actualized proven efficiencies that identified a 62 percent improved energy consumption efficiency to stimulate local economic activity by 34 percent. According to literature by prior scholars such as Li et al. (2014) and Chen et al. (2012), the current study underlines the parts played by the populations in rural areas and technological advancements in realizing effective energy solutions. The study affirms the feasibility of using AI in implementing micro solar grids to ease energy poverty and improve the ecological management of remote areas.
Hybrid power systems are technically suitable for providing continuous and quality power to remotely located dwellings and have the potential of reducing the greenhouse gases emissions. The present study aims at finding an optimal hybrid power system based on wind, solar, diesel, and battery backup, which can address the load requirements of a village (Muhavoor, India). The present study utilizes the HOMER software for sizing the major power components, performing economic analysis and estimating greenhouse gas emission. It uses the minimum cost of energy as the basis for optimum system selection. Local load, wind speed, and solar radiation data along with technical and financial input of wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels, diesel generators, inverters, and fuel are considered in the simulation. Several options have been considered in the study including: diesel, PV/diesel/battery, wind/diesel, and PV/wind/diesel/battery hybrid power systems. Based on the simulation results and analysis, the PV/diesel/battery system with 53MW capacity of PV, 16.55MW diesel generator capacity, 3,520MWh of battery backup, and 15.5MW of converter is recommended as the best option for the concerned village. This system is capable of meeting the entire load of the village with annual energy yield of 92,549MWh with an excess energy of 7,262MWh. Of the total electricity produced, PV panels generate 92.71% with a renewable fraction of 89.2% at an energy cost of 0.117US$/kWh. The total cost of the proposed hybrid power system can be recovered in 11 or 8 years with positive cash flows at the end of year 12 or 9 based on sale of electricity alone or with additional income from fuel savings and greenhouse gases credit incentive.
This paper explores the possibility of hybridizing the diesel generator source system with renewable energy sources and demonstrates the potential of renewable energies to replace (partially) diesel as a source of power for mobile base station sites. The concept of hybridizing the diesel generator is to reduce both the operating cost and the quantity of different air pollutants. The patterns of load consumption by mobile base station are studied and suitably modeled for optimization using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software. The proposed Hybrid (Solar & Hydro) + DG system was simulated using the model which results in four different topologies. The solution with the highest optimization value is considered to be the best energy option (solution) for the Base Station Site. From the simulation results, the PV/Hydro-Diesel system solution has the highest optimization value. It saves $15,961,777 and 70.553 tonnes of CO2 when compared with diesel only.
Hybrid PV/Wind power system can be used to generate electricity consumed in household. This paper presents the design of a stand-alone Hybrid PV/Wind energy system for a household in University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Eastern Nigeria with a daily load of 5.2kwh/d. Solar and wind resources for the design of the system were obtained from the NASA Surface Meteorology and solar energy website at a location of 6° 51' N latitude and 7° 24' E longitude, with annual average solar radiation of 4.92kWh/m2/d and annual average wind speed of 2.1m/s. The study is based on modeling, simulation and optimization of energy system in UNN. The model was designed to provide an optimal system configuration based on hour-by-hour data for energy availability and demands. Energy source, energy storage and their applicability in terms of cost and performance are discussed. The Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software is used to study and design the proposed stand-alone Hybrid PV/Wind power system model. The designed Hybrid PV/Wind was compared to gasoline generator in order to choose the best energy system for the household. Total Net Present Cost (NPC) and impact on the environment are used as indices for measuring the optimization level of each energy solution. Simulation results show the Hybrid PV/Wind option (374,237; 2.049 tonnes of CO2) whereby gasoline generators are currently used to power household around Nigeria.
This paper describes the simulation of Photovoltaic (PV)-Diesel hybrid system with reliable control system. The control system supervise and control the operations of the hybrid system by coordinating when power should be generated by renewable energy (PV panels) and when it should be generated by diesel generator and is intended to maximize the use of renewable system while limiting the use of diesel generator. Diesel generator is allocated only when the demand cannot be met by the renewable energy source including battery bank. From the results of the simulation, it was shown that the PV-Diesel hybrid system provide a reduction of the operational costs and air pollutants emitted to the atmosphere when compared with diesel only system. The hybrid system also gives an opportunity for renewable energy to supply 63% of the annual energy demand of the digital library and results in 37% reduction on diesel use.
This study presents an analysis of the technical and financial viability of grid/RES hybrid power supply configurations for a touristy Island. Assessment criteria comprised net present cost (NPC), cost of energy (COE) and green house gases (GHG) reduction. The RES software HOMER (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US) was utilized as the assessment tool with modeling performed with hourly load data input from Kish Island in tropical area of Hormozgan, Iran. As Kish is not connected to grid, price of a submarine transmission system is entered as the fixed capital cost of the system. Grid connection is required as energy backup and as well to make the system commercial. If the electricity produced by the renewable energy sources was not enough to supply the Kish's demand, the required energy would be supplied by purchasing energy from the grid. Otherwise, if the energy produced by RES excesses the load of Kish Island, the excess energy would be sold to the grid.
Resumen
Energy is essential for today’s society and it is difficult to imagine life without electrical energy. This paper presents an analysis of the load requirements of the Catholic Parish Church, along with a technical and economical feasibility assessment of the option of incorporating solar Photo Voltaic (PV) generation to supplement the existing diesel power system that currently supplies power to the church. The proposed system would meet around 53% of the average annual parish church electrical load and result in 47% reduction in diesel use and CO2 emissions compared to the diesel- only option. From the analyses, the solar PV- diesel system has less total net present cost and less emission as a result of less fuel consumption of the diesel generator when compared to the existing system (diesel only).
This paper describes the design of energy-efficient wide spectrum mechanisms and protocols to capture context information and employ actuation to close the feedback loop. The project described in this article focuses on harvesting energy from the environment through as many ways as possible, and efficiently using the harvested energy in off-grid buildings, dynamically adapting the consumption to currently available energy levels. The main energy sources to be used for harvesting are: solar energy, wind energy, wasted wireless communication energy and hydro energy. Through its web and Android interfaces, the project offers functionalities such as analyzing energy harvesting efficiency, monitoring building-wide energy consumption, setting up profiles and managing consumers individually.
A hybrid energy system, based on renewable energy sources and with hydrogen storage, can become an alternative for stand-alone electricity and heat supply. The objective of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of a completely renewable supply of power and heat for an isolated household, and a comparison to reference and alternative energy supply scenarios. In this paper, an energy system using fossil and renewable energy sources is compared to a system using only renewable energy sources (solar and wind) with hydrogen-based energy storage technologies. A reference household in Slovenia's coastal region was used for modelling and numerical simulation. Simulations and optimal energy system identification were conducted by considering the geographical location and availability of energy sources, load dynamics, and components' technical and economical characteristics. A household with electricity consumption of 11 kWh/day, hourly peak power demand of 3.8 kW and 660 L of oil-equivalent yearly heat demand was considered as the stand-alone load. The results show that 100% renewable electricity and heat supply of a reference household is technically feasible and is more cost-effective, compared to systems utilising fossil heat.
Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software was utilized to determine the optimum design of a hybrid micro-power energy station by minimizing the cost of energy based on a zero capacity shortage. This paper is an extension to a pervious study to optimize the design and implementation of a hybrid power station. This paper provides a full analysis of the output power generated from the power station based on the current fuel price, wind speed, and solar conditions. The optimization function objective is to minimize the Net Price Cost (NPC) and the Cost of Energy (COE) with zero percentage of capacity shortage. The study discusses the environmental impact of the suggested power station on the local area. The main factors to consider are the generated Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide of the diesel usage. Other substance considered are; Sulfur Dioxide, Unburned Hydrocarbons, and Nitrogen Oxides. The paper presents a cost analysis of the project, where the total cost of the suggested power station is 103,148 dollars, including the capital cost of all power units, the O&M cost, the replacement cost and the Fuel cost.
A microgrid is an integrated form of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) which are connected together to serve electrical power to the selected consumers or can exchange power with the existing utility grid under stand alone or grid connected mode. Distributed generators can provide high reliability by providing on-site generation. As a result of this many hybrid systems came in existence like PV cells, fuel cells, micro turbines, wind, diesel and small hydro systems. The distributed generation system having Photo Voltaic (PV), wind turbine and diesel generator is simulated and analyzed. This paper gives simulation results of PV-Wind-Diesel hybrid system. HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Models for Energy Resources) power optimization software by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) is used to simulate and analyze the PV-Wind-Diesel hybrid system.
In this simulative dominant research paper a renewable decentralised distributed generation Microgrid was designed and optimized with HOMER as a platform to analyse the real time dynamic data. Critical decision variables like the size of the PV array, number of wind turbines, size of fuel cell, presence of hydro system, number of batteries, size of converters, dispatch strategy, size of generators are given due weight in the optimization process using data from NASA's meteorological department. The uncertainties of renewable energy resources like hourly wind speeds, life time of PV array, hourly data sets of load or renewable resources have been given due care in obtaining the sensitivity analysis, which is an added advantage of using HOMER. The aim of proving Microgrid as a clean energy source at Kondapalli forest on Indrakeeladri hillocks of Vijayawada considering all environmental factors proved fruitful with a negative carbon emission of 17.2 kg in a single year.
In the wake of rising cost of oil and fears of its exhaustion coupled with increased pollution, the governments world-wide are deliberating and making huge strides to promote renewable energy sources such as solar–photovoltaic (solar–PV) and wind energy. Integration of diesel systems with hybrid wind–PV systems is pursued widely to reduce dependence on fossil-fuel produced energy and to reduce the release of carbon gases that cause global climate change. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consume an estimated 10–40% of the total electric energy generated. The study reviews research work carried out world-wide on wind farms and solar parks. The work also analyzes wind speed and solar radiation data of East-Coast (Dhahran), KSA, to assess the technical and economic potential of wind farm and solar PV park (hybrid wind–PV–diesel power systems) to meet the load requirements of a typical commercial building (with annual electrical energy demand of 620,000kWh). The monthly average wind speeds range from 3.3 to 5.6m/s. The monthly average daily solar global radiation ranges from 3.61 to 7.96kWh/m2. The hybrid systems simulated consist of different combinations of 100kW wind machines, PV panels, supplemented by diesel generators. NREL (and HOMER Energy's) HOMER software has been used to perform the techno-economic study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system comprising of 100kW wind capacity (37m hub-height) and 40kW of PV capacity together with 175kW diesel system, the renewable energy fraction (with 0% annual capacity shortage) is 36% (24% wind+12% PV). The cost of generating energy (COE, /kWh (assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1$/L). The study exhibits that for a given hybrid configuration, the number of operational hours of diesel generators decreases with increase in wind farm and PV capacity. Attention has also been focused on wind/PV penetration, un-met load, excess electricity generation, percentage fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (relative to diesel-only situation) of different hybrid systems, cost break-down of wind–PV–diesel systems, COE of different hybrid systems, etc.
This paper outlines a feasibility analysis of renewable energy supply (RES) for small to medium-scale tourist operations (less than 100 beds) dependent on stand-alone supplies. The analysis utilised the power load data from three accommodation case studies that had RES/hybrids already installed. The accommodation sites, chosen from diverse locations within Australia, varied in both climatic and geographic characteristics. The assessment criteria for the analysis were net present cost (NPC), renewable factor (RF) and payback time. The specific operational characteristics of the tourism accommodation sector, such as 24-h operation, comfort provision and low tolerance for failure, necessitates a separate assessment of RES viability for this sector, rather than relying on similar assessments from other commercial and domestic sectors, which may not be representative. This study utilised RES assessment software, HOMER (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US) in order to compare the present RES/hybrid configuration to diesel generator-only (genset-only), RES-only and optimised RES/hybrid configurations. Analysis of both actual data and modeling results demonstrated that RES can adequately and reliably meet the power demand for stand-alone small to medium-scale tourist accommodations. Optimisation, achieved by further addition of RES to the existing configurations, reduced NPC in the majority of cases, with the added benefit of increased RF. Furthermore, NPC for these optimised RES/hybrid configurations were comparable to the optimised genset-only configurations. Modeling of conversions to RES-only configurations demonstrated this option as uneconomical unless existing RF was already high. Results indicated that wind energy conversion systems (WECS), rather than photovoltaics, were the most economical RES for sampled hybrid systems. For example, the payback time of the WECS/hybrids was approximately 3–4 years compared to PV/hybrids at 6–7 years. Hydrogen fuel cells and storage systems, whilst technically feasible, were not economically viable for the case studies due to the present high cost of components, especially compared to gensets. Modeling future potential increase in diesel fuel prices and implementation of carbon taxes shows a significant increase in NPC for genset-only configurations compared to RES/hybrid configurations in the sample. Carbon taxes of $50/ton increases NPC by 10% for genset-only systems but increases NPC less than half that amount for RES/hybrid systems. The data and subsequent modeling demonstrate that RES is both technically feasible and economically viable compared to diesel energy supply, for the small to medium-scale tourist operations sampled, dependent on stand-alone power supplies.
To reduce the cost of rural power generation and the environmental impact of diesel fuel usage, the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), Kotzebue Electric Association (KEA, a rural Alaskan utility), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), began a collaboration in late 1995 to implement a high-penetration wind-diesel hybrid power system in a village in northwest Alaska. The project was intended to be both a technology demonstration and a pilot for commercial replication of the system in other Alaskan villages. During the first several years of the project, NREL focused on the design and development of the electronic controls, the system control software, and the ancillary components (power converters, energy storage, electric dump loads, communications links, etc.) that would be required to integrate new wind turbines with the existing diesels in a reliable highly automated system. Meanwhile, AEA and KEA focused on project development activities, including wind resource assessment, site selection and permitting, community relationship building, and logistical planning. Ultimately, the village of Wales, Alaska, was chosen as the project site. Wales is a native Inupiat village of approximately 160 inhabitants, with an average electric load of about 75 kW.
This paper will summarize the DOE/Russian Ministry of Fuel and Energy (MF&E) activities in Russia's Northern Territories in the field of hybrid wind-diesel power systems over the last three years (1997-1999). The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) supplied technical assistance to the project, including resource assessment, system design, site identification, training and system monitoring. As a result, several wind-diesel systems have been installed and are operating in the Arkhangelsk/Murmansk regions and in Chukotka. NREL designed and provided sets of data acquisition equipment to monitor several of the first pilot wind-diesel systems. NREL's computer simulation models are being used for performance data analysis and optimizing of future system configurations.
This report deals with long-term performance model simulations of wind/diesel systems. The model is called VINDEC and is developed at the Norwegian research Institute of Energy Supply, as a part of the Norwegian Wind Energy research Programme. The model is time-series based and can handle the usual configuration of wind turbines, diesel start/stop, dump load and energy storage. The time constant of the energy storage must be greater than the time step of the input wind and load data. This is typically 10 minutes, which makes the storage a long-term type, rather than short-term. The main results of the study show that oversized WTGs and splitting the diesel power between two smaller diesels give the best performance with respect to diesel fuel saving. Savings of the order 50% to 70% can be achieved. Energy prices favour wind/diesel to pure diesel for Norwegian applications for annual average wind speeds above approx 7-8 m/s.
This paper is made up of three main elements: 1) A look at the main design questions for wind/diesel systems. The criteria affecting design choices for the diesel sets, wind turbines and energy stores are briefly surveyed. 2) Examples of current Research and Development and Demonstration projects are given, ranging from small supplies of a few kW to large systems up to 1MW. 3) There is a separate discussion of the largest systems (multi-megawatt) which include a number of diesel sets on an isolated grid, and which permit 'multiple-diesel strategies' to be operated.
The Strategic Power Utilities Group (SPUG) of the National Power Corporation (NPC) in the Philippines owns and operates about 100 power plants, mostly fueled by diesel, ranging in energy production from about 15 kilowatt-hours (kWh)/day to 106,000 kWh/day. Reducing the consumption of diesel fuel in these plants, along with the associated financial losses, is a priority for SPUG. The purpose of this study is to estimate the potential fuel and cost savings that might be achieved by retrofitting hybrid power systems to these existing diesel plants. As used in this report, the term ''hybrid system'' refers to any combination of wind turbine generators (WTGs), photovoltaic (PV) modules, lead-acid batteries, and an AC/DC power converter (either an electronic inverter or a rotary converter), in addition to the existing diesel gensets. The resources available for this study did not permit a detailed design analysis for each of the plants. Instead, the following five-step process was used: (1) Tabulate some important characteristics of all the plants. (2) Group the plants into categories (six classes) with similar characteristics. (3) For each class of system, identify one plant that is representative of the class. (4) For each representative plant, perform a moderately detailed prefeasibility analysis of design options. (5) Summarize and interpret the results. The analysis of each representative plant involved the use of time-series computer simulation models to estimate the fuel usage, maintenance expenses, and cash flow resulting from various designs, and to search the domain of possible designs for the one leading to the lowest life-cycle cost. Cost items that would be unaffected by the retrofit, such as operator salaries and the capital cost of existing equipment, were not included in the analysis. Thus, the results are reported as levelized cost of energy (COE) savings: the difference between the cost of the existing diesel-only system and that of an optimized hybrid system, expressed in units of U.S. dollars per kWh (US$/kWh) of energy production. This analysis is one phase of a study entitled ''Analysis of Renewable Energy Retrofit Options to Existing Diesel Mini-Grids,'' funded by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and performed jointly by NPC, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Sustainable Energy Solutions in New York, New York (Morris et al. 1998). A more detailed version of this paper is included in that report.
Hourly mean wind-speed and solar radiation data for the period 1986–1993 [except the years 1989 (some data is missing) and 1991 (Gulf War)] recorded at the solar radiation and meteorological monitoring station, Dhahran (26° 32′ N, 50° 13′ E), Saudi Arabia, have been analyzed to report the monthly variation of wind speed and solar radiation, probability distribution of wind speed and to investigate the feasibility of using hybrid (wind+solar) energy conversion systems at Dhahran. The monthly average wind speeds for Dhahran range from 4.21 to 6.97 m/s. The monthly average daily values of solar radiation for Dhahran range from 3.61 kwh/sq.m to 7.96 kwh/sq.m. The hybrid system considered in the present analysis consists of two 10 kW Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS), 120 sq.m of Photovoltaic (PV) panels together with a battery storage system and a diesel back-up. The monthly average daily energy generated from the above hybrid system has been presented. The energy generated from the back-up diesel generator and the no. of operational hours of the diesel system to meet a specific annual electrical energy demand of 41531 kWh have also been presented.
This article details a joint program between China and Germany to bring economical electric power to China's rural areas through the use of wind/diesel/battery systems that are planned to be constructed of locally made components. The topics of the article include the cooperative program, technology and performance, technology transfer and economics of the project.
This paper presents a model of a wind power plant for isolated locations composed of a vertical axis wind turbine connected to a self-excited induction generator operating at constant voltage and frequency; a back-up diesel generator and a battery system are moreover included in the system. Constant voltage and frequency are obtained only by controlling the generator appropriately. The control system is supposed to be optimised so that the system operates at the highest efficiency. In order to improve the total efficiency even further, a gear-box to vary the gear transmission ratio between the turinbe and the generator has been considered. A “Monte Carlo” type simulation has been used to analyse the operation of that system over a one year period. The model is based on a probability density function of the wind speed derived by statistical data concerning a given location and on the probabilistic curve of the load required by an isolated location. The cost per kWh for different dimensions of the main components has been evaluated and the optimum configuration has been identified.
This paper describes the technical and economic methods used to select a wind-diesel power system in the Canary Islands. The project was implemented with the aim of meeting the complete energy requirements of a small isolated fishing village, while minimizing fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. We focus on the decisions taken and lessons learned during configuration of the hybrid system. The project offers a working model for the application of renewable energy to an isolated community where there is no external electricity supply. We analyse nine hypotheses for the system's configuration and operation including the option of using diesel only as a base for comparison. Our results show that the hybrid systems, though employing high percentages of wind energy, were actually more expensive in terms of units of energy produced than the diesel only option. Therefore, a reduction in CO₂ emissions implies additional costs in the energy supply system.
The combination of wind turbine generators with diesel engine-generator sets offers a potentially cost effective hybrid electric system that has many stand-alone and small girl-connected applications. This article reviews wind/diesel systems and the current status of worldwide research and development on such systems. Included is a detailed summary of the modes of operation and types of wind/diesel systems, as well as a review of recent improvements in system components and analysis. Included with a discussion of general applications is a case study summary of a village-scale wind/diesel systems' generating and economic performance. A design methodology for these types of systems is presented.
The paper introduces a Wind Diesel concept suitable for remote communities, the ‘Simple, Robust & Reliable Concept’ developed at Risø. All components are standard components, the system is self regulating using the component controllers and there is no power electronics. The paper documents a performance in terms of fuel savings and power quality that makes the concept a commercially viable option for including wind power in remote power supply systems.
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