Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Solar PV- Wind Grid-connected Hybrid Energy systems for Electrification in Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

Sultanate of Oman’s power sector is undergoing a rapid restructuring to involve renewable energy sources as part of the generation system. The present power sector majorly depends on the a-renewable energy source, natural gas for its power generation. CeA central grid system connecting all the provinces of Oman involving renewable and non-renewable energy sources in power generation is initiated and is gaining acceleration. Hybridization and its optimization of energy resources at different locations based on geographical factors, cost of electricity production, greenhouse gas emission, and initial and operating costs involved in the generation is still a major concern for the development of a central grid system. In this paper, the development of an optimal hybrid system for the load profile of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences – Shinas (UTAS- Shinas) is done. The initial study was done to develop load profile data of UTAS- Shinas. The annual Peak demand of the University is 720 kW. Various hybrid and standalone combinations involving renewable and non-renewable options are simulated and analysed with a hybridization software tool, HOMER Pro. Solar PV and wind are the major renewable energy resources, found to have ambient potential in Oman. When a renewable energy system is there in the hybrid system design, a non-renewable energy source can be added as a backup generation system to improve its system reliability. Optimization of the hybrid combinations is required as the cost of electricity generation will be expensive, if a wrong combination is selected. Out of the different hybrid combinations selected, PV- Wind – Natural gas-based hybrid system was found to be the most beneficial system for UTAS- Shinas, after considering Renewable energy fraction of 61.6 % power, which can penetrate to the system, the Net Present Cost (NPC), Cost of Energy (COE), Payback period and Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission control as the constraints for the optimization procedure. The practical implementation is done on campus by taking a sample load and illustrating the project with power sources PV of 3.5kW, wind energy conversion of 1.5kW, and grid connection from Majan Electricity Company with an auto change over the facility.