Abstract
The emerging environmental consequences of overdependence on fossil fuels have pushed many countries to invest in clean and renewable sources of power. Countries like Iran where these sources can be found in abundance can take advantage of this potential to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. This study investigated the feasibility of the standalone use of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) to power buildings in the Bostegan village in the Hormozgan province of Iran. Technical, economic, and environmental assessments were performed with the help of the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software, and the optimal configuration for the system components was determined accordingly. The results showed that the simultaneous use of wind and solar systems with a converter and a backup system comprised of a diesel generator and batteries will be the most economic option, offering electricity at a cost of 1.058 USD/kWh and with a renewable fraction of 64%. After selecting the most optimal system using the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) techniques, a sensitivity analysis with 27 parameter settings was performed to determine the effect of fuel price fluctuations and the uncertainty in the renewable energy potentials on the results. This analysis showed that in the worst-case scenario, the price of electricity will reach as high as 1.343 $/kWh. In the end, the study investigated an alternative scenario where the generated power is used for hydrogen production, which showed that the system output can be used to produce 643.63 ton-H2/year.
Highlights
Today, access to electricity can be viewed as a measure of the sustainable economic development of a nation and the prosperity of its citizens
The main feature of hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is its ability to bring electricity to remote and rural areas through the use of renewable sources, which leads to reduced greenhouse gas emission and potentially reduced levelized cost of energy (LCOE)
This study investigated the feasibility of using an HRES consisting of wind turbine and solar panels as renewable sources and a support system comprised of a converter, a battery unit, and a diesel generator to power the buildings of a remote village in Hormozgan province, Iran
Summary
Access to electricity can be viewed as a measure of the sustainable economic development of a nation and the prosperity of its citizens. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8764 remote areas, especially in developing countries, still lack access to electricity. This problem can be solved by either expanding power grids or building off-grid power generation systems. HRES is a system of conventional and renewable energy sources that is designed to generate and store electricity for a localized demand point in a standalone or off-grid state. The main feature of HRES is its ability to bring electricity to remote and rural areas through the use of renewable sources, which leads to reduced greenhouse gas emission and potentially reduced levelized cost of energy (LCOE)
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