Techno-economic analysis of micro-grid system design through climate region clustering

Abstract

Micro-grid systems utilizing renewable energy sources (RES) have emerged as a viable technology for addressing the present global climate crisis. Nonetheless, the considerable uncertainty of RES and the climatic variability make it challenging to build a suitable system. To understand the implications of climate on the optimal micro-grid design, we present a techno-economic analysis of 13,488 regions. On the basis of climatic similarities, the locations were divided into nine groups, and the correlations between climates and optimal designs were analyzed. Based on their climate sensitivity and the change trend of two climates, we discovered that they fell into four separate categories. In climate-sensitive places where PV module size increases 6.79 ± 0.13% and wind turbine size increases at the same rate, the overall cost increases 7.6%, which is 2–4 times that of other types. On the other side, climate-insensitive locations with same/opposite tendencies experience the least change in overall micro-grid system size due to climate change. Although total system sizes are most sensitive in climate-sensitive regions with opposing tendencies, their total costs vary the least due to a trade-off between PV module and wind turbine size variations. The analyses reveal the effects of climate on the sizes and costs of micro-grid systems and emphasize the importance of considering climatic fluctuations when designing micro-grid systems.