Optimally sized hybrid energy system for auxiliaries of a cement manufacturing unit with diesel fuel price sensitivity analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACTPrices of fuels such as coal and diesel are showing uptrend continuously in India due to which the manufacturing sector is finding it hard to control the production cost. The manufacturing units are emphasising upon innovative practices to reduce the electrical energy consumption in order to reduce production cost. They are recognising renewable energy as one of the options to save fuel cost to some extent by running some partial load on this energy. This paper is presenting a technical and economic analysis for proposing a hybrid renewable energy system, comprising Solar Photovoltaic, wind, a storage battery and a diesel unit, for running auxiliary load of a cement manufacturing unit located in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, India. As the diesel prices are continuously increasing almost rupees 0.5 per month in India for the last few months, the diesel price sensitivity analysis is also done for optimal system sizing. The results show that diesel price increment from $1.01 to $1.09 does not affect optimal system size but only net present cost and levelised cost of energy. When diesel price increases beyond $1.09, the optimal system size increases resulting in capital cost increment. It attains a new optimal system size at a diesel price of $1.13.