Techno-economic feasibility analysis of grid configuration sizing for hybrid renewable energy system in Turkey using different optimization techniques

Abstract

Today, with a human population of 7.5 billion, increasing power consumption, and widespread use of high-technology equipment, the need for energy in the world is increasing day by day. The damage to nature caused by non-renewable energy resources and the economic and political disadvantages they cause in countries that must import these resources have led the world to search for alternative energy sources. One of the most important benefits of renewable energy sources is that they can create hybrid energy systems with other energy sources. Hybrid energy systems are structures in that more than one energy generation unit works together to feed the electrical load. In this paper, a hybrid system will be designed by using Homer PRO, to supply the energy consumed in the residential areas of Karaburun and Urla districts of Izmir province in Turkey with hybrid renewable energy systems. Systems of different sizes are designed for 50%, 75%, and 100% penetration rates, and sales to the grid are constrained to 0%, 25%, 50%, and no constraint on sales. Sensitivity analyses have been performed for 10% and 20% more power required by the load. Techno-economic analyses were done for the systems and the optimal system has been identified. The power flow of the optimal system is inspected by defining the network in Python and Fire Hawk Optimizer (FHO), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) are used for optimal sizing of the system. The optimal system has a Net Present Cost (NPC) of $52.3 M, 34 wind turbines, and 954 kW PV with conditions of 100% penetration and no restrictions on sales to the grid. FHO proposed 26 wind turbines and 780 kW PVs for Urla and 8 wind turbines, and 174 kW PVs for Karaburun. GWO proposed 25 wind turbines and 747 kW PVs for Urla, 9 wind turbines, and 165 PVs for Karaburun. PSO offered 24 wind turbines and 708 kW PVs for Urla, 10 wind turbines, and 246 kW PVs for Karaburun. When there is no sale to and 25% sales to the grid, it is seen that the optimal scenario is the system with a 50% penetration rate. In fully sale-constrained systems, NPCs are higher than the base system and they can never pay for themselves compared to the base system. It is concluded that smaller-sized systems are more suitable for systems with high constraints. The proposed FHO algorithm and GWO algorithm react to increasing penetration ratios by enlarging the system size in the regions with high load demand. PSO sizes the system like predictions by load demand. FHO reacts quicker to increasing penetrations than PSO and GWO. FHO algorithm is found to be usable to solve optimal power flow problems and optimal system sizing.