Optimal Sizing of Hybrid Renewable Energy System for off-Grid Electrification: A Case Study of University of Ibadan Abdusalam Abubakar Post Graduate Hall of Residence

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to design a Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) to meet the energy demand of a major Post Graduate Student residential hostel. The specific objectives were to estimate the energy demand, perform economic and technical analysis of various combination of renewable energy technologies that can meet the estimated energy demand and to select the appropriate and optimum hybrid system for the hall of residence. Quantitative analysis was used to determine the energy demand of the hall of residence while the solar resource information was obtained from the NASA Surface Meteorology. The Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software was used for analysis. The components of the system considered were solar photovoltaic (PV), diesel generator, batteries and inverter. The optimised hybrid system obtained was also compared to a system in which a diesel generator serves as the sole source of electricity supply. Economic analysis using the total net present cost and levelized cost of enegy was employed to determine the optimized hybrid combination. Environmental considerations were also made based on the amount of Carbon dioxide emitted per year. Results indicates that electricity generation through a hybrid system made up of 1000kW PV, 110 kVA generator, 11791 kWh Surrette S6CS25P battery arranged in parallel strings and a 220 kW Inverter had the lowest total net present cost, lowest cost of energy with a low emission. Hence, Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) should be employed in the production of electricity in due to its ability to reduce environmental degradation while ensuring a low total net present cost and a low cost of energy.