Optimization of a hybrid solar/wind/storage system with bio-generator for a household by emerging metaheuristic optimization algorithm

Abstract

The ever-increasing need for electricity in off-grid areas requires a safe and effective energy supply system. Considering the development of a sustainable energy system and the reduction of environmental pollution and energy cost per unit, this study focuses on the techno-economic study and optimal sizing of the solar, wind, bio-diesel generator, and energy storage structure. The emerging metaheuristic optimization method is used to estimate the techno-economic benefits of the suggested structure to provide the required electricity for a residential household. The optimal design is done with the harmony search (HS) method to validate the results obtained with the suggested algorithm. Minimizing the total annual cost (TAC) is a main objective for the design optimization of the system while satisfying the reliability and techno-enviro-economic constraints. The impact of the investment cost of biodiesel, biofuel cost, and reliability is investigated on the system sizing. The results show that the proposed algorithm has low simulation time (by 4.1 %) and the operating cost of the proposed algorithm is 1.12 % less than the existing HS algorithm based on the best TAC value. The TAC is received as $24,259 with the suggested method, which is the best optimal result compared to the result given by the HS algorithm. The proposed off-grid renewable energy system based on a bio-diesel generator is a viable and scalable solution to provide the required electricity for a residential household in all periods. The sensitivity analysis show that if the biofuel cost is reduced by 50.8 %, TAC will decrease by about 36.6 %. On the other hand, if the bio-diesel generator cost is reduced by 17 %, TAC will be decreased by 2.7 %. Finally, if the limit value of reliability is reduced from 2 to 0 %, TAC will increase by 13.2 %.