Multiple Energy Resources Software Research Articles

Techno-economic optimization and Strategic assessment of sustainable energy solutions for Powering remote communities

The purpose of this research is to identify the optimal configuration of a diesel generator with a hybrid renewable energy system that can sustainably meet the energy demands of a rural area. Some of the main challenges of using diesel generators to supply the required electric load in remote areas are the high operating cost, unmet electric load, carbon dioxide emissions, very high total net cost, and the quality of electricity. This study, which combined diesel generators with renewable resources, accurately analyzed eight different system outputs from the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software. The analysis considered factors such as site-specific conditions, fuel costs, and solar radiation levels. The software prefers a load following strategy over a cycle charging strategy. This load following strategy involves combining a diesel generator with renewable energy sources, specifically configured as a combination of photovoltaic cells, a diesel generator, a wind turbine, and a battery. This configuration, with a total net cost of approximately $180,065.43 and a levelized cost of energy of $0.32, is identified as the most effective configuration chosen. Operating cost, carbon dioxide emission, and total net present cost are reduced by 53.17 %, 60.46 %, and 30.02 %, respectively. It highlighted the combination of diesel generator with renewable energies and their role in promoting environmental sustainability. By providing 100 % of the load demand, it increased the quality of electricity such that the unmet electric load is reduced to zero.

A techno-economic assessment of the viability of a photovoltaic-wind-battery storage-hydrogen energy system for electrifying primary healthcare centre in Sub-Saharan Africa

Healthcare facilities in isolated rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa face challenges in providing essential health services due to unreliable energy access. This study examines the use of hybrid renewable energy systems consisting of solar PV, wind turbines, batteries, and hydrogen storage for the electrification of rural healthcare facilities in Nigeria and South Africa. The study deployed the efficacy of Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software for techno-economic analysis and the Evaluation based on the Distance from Average Solution method for multi-criteria decision-making for sizing, optimizing, and selecting the optimal energy system. Results show that the optimal configurations achieve cost-effective levelized energy costs ranging from $0.336 to $0.410/kWh for both countries. For the Nigeria case study, the optimal energy system includes 5 kW PV, 10 kW fuel cell, 10 kW inverter, 10 kW electrolyzer, and 16 kg hydrogen tank. South Africa’s optimal configuration has 5 kW PV, 10 kW battery, 10 kW inverter, and 7.5 kW rectifier. Solar PV provides more than 90 % of energy, with dual axis tracking yielding the highest output: 8,889kWh/yr for Nigeria and 10,470kWh/yr for South Africa. The multi-criteria decision-making analysis reveals that Nigeria’s preferred option is the hybrid system without tracking. In contrast, the horizontal axis, weekly adjustment tracking configuration is optimal for South Africa, considering technical, economic, and environmental criteria. The findings highlight the importance of context-specific optimization for hybrid renewable energy systems in rural healthcare facilities to accelerate Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 7.

Comparative techno-economic analyses and optimization of standalone and grid-tied renewable energy systems for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa

This study evaluates the economic, technical, and environmental performance of stand-alone and grid-tied HRES in Khiriya Bharka, India; Thayet Township, Myanmar; Lower Manya Krobo, Ghana; and Mamfe, Cameroon, considering different regional solar radiation, wind speed diversity, and climate. The HRES are designed and modeled using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software (HOMER PRO) to meet consumers' daily loads in the selected places. The analysis results are compared considering the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), net present cost (NPC), greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, renewable fraction (RF), and optimum system configuration. The optimal system configurations are the combination of PV-WT-DG-BAT-CON for grid-tied and stand-alone HRES in India, Ghana, and Cameroon, respectively, and the best configuration for Thayet Township, Myanmar, is WT-DG-BAT-CON. The LCOE of the considered places without grid connection is $0.127/kWh, $0.145/kWh, $0.174/kWh, and $0.143/kWh, respectively. The LCOE of grid-tied HRES is 0.026$/kWh, 0.0286$/kWh, 0.01$/kWh, and 0.0281$/kWh for Khiriya Bharka, Thayet Township, Lower Manya Krobo, and Mamfe, respectively. This research can be useful for planning grid-tied and stand-alone HRES between Asia and African countries by comparing grid-tied and stand-alone HRES to determine the optimum system configuration and finding the best optimization results under different climate conditions. These results are further validated by finding loss of power supply probability (LPSP) and LCOE using particle swarm optimization (PSO). To better inform policymakers and stakeholders in various regions, this research aims to assess and compare renewable energy solutions in terms of their feasibility, cost-effectiveness, environmental impact, and sustainability across a range of geographical, social, and economic contexts.

A Systematic Tri-level Demand-driven Supply-side Management Approach on Enhancing Building Energy Performance in an Educational Institution

The concept of demand-side management (DSM) is a ceaseless research topic craving an advanced, superior, and qualitative strategy for improving customers’ level of satisfaction with energy utilization. It encourages the active participation of prosumers and paves the way for sufficient energy proficiency. However, less attention is paid to accounting for consumers’ comfort and priorities. This paper presents a tri-level systematic approach for implementing demand-side and supply-side management at the consumer end. The proposed Tri-level Demand-Driven Supply-Side Management (TDD-SSM) framework commences with gathering knowledge on available loads in the department building block of a higher educational institution situated in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, India. The incorporated DSM technique follows strategic load categorization and load scheduling. Following that, a feasibility study on optimal sources is accomplished with Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software. The simulation is done to have a clear comparison in rendering a techno-enviro-economically feasible configuration of energy source to loads (with and without DSM). Ultimately, the framework concludes by picking the most promising energy configuration through the ideal computational multi-criteria decision-making–Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation II approach, which highlights the energy configuration of photovoltaic solar generation supply along with grid feeding loads after DSM incorporation and is found to be the best energy configuration under techno-enviro-economic criteria.

Techno-Economic Comparative Analysis of Grid-Connected and Islanded Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems in 7 Climate Regions, Turkey

The aim of this study is to evaluate the economic, technical, and environmental performances of grid-tied and stand-alone hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) in 21 provinces in seven regions of Turkey, considering different regional solar radiation and wind speed diversity. HRES were designed and modeled using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software (HOMER PRO) to meet the daily load of 13.26 kWh/day of a household. The analysis results for each province were compared considering the cost of energy, net present cost (NPC), greenhouse gas emissions, renewable fraction (RF), and optimum system configuration. The findings demonstrated that the optimal system configurations are Grid/PV/WT and PV/WT/DG/BESS for grid-tied and stand-alone HRES, respectively. The value of NPC ranges from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 2,540.00 to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 8,951.00 for grid-tied HRES, while it varies from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 23,372.00 to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 40,858.00 for stand-alone HRES. The provinces of Çanakkale in the Marmara Region and Artvin in the Black Sea Coast Region have the lowest and highest NPC values, respectively, for all systems. The PV capital cost, WT capital cost, BESS capital cost, solar radiation, and wind speed are considered as sensitivity input parameters that might affect the economic output of the HRES in this study. According to the sensitivity analysis, the NPC value as an economic indicator input decreased for both on-grid and off-grid HRES as the wind speed and solar radiation increased. It was also found that when the capital cost of PV panels and WT were changed, the NPC of the stand-alone HRES was in the range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 21,402.27- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 29,978.89 for the province of Çanakkale, while it was in the range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 37,518.11- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\$ $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 51,939.00 for the province of Artvin. Moreover, when solar radiation and wind speed were increased, the results showed that NPC and CO2 emissions decreased by 9.30% and 9.23%, respectively, for Çanakkale, and by 25.58% and 66.95%, respectively, for Artvin. Finally, the results indicated that the optimal system configuration changes depending on the PV and WT capital cost variations for the grid-tied HRES. This research can be useful for planning grid-tied and stand-alone HRES from different aspects in Turkey, as well as other countries around the world. It contributes to the literature by comparing grid-tied and stand-alone HRES to determine the optimum system configuration and to find the best optimization results in seven regions of Turkey under different climate conditions. In addition, most of the studies related to HRES for residential areas in the literature are reviewed in this research, which intends to serve as a guide for engineers and researchers.

Planning of renewable and storage‐based standalone microgrid for reliable electrification

AbstractWorld's large population lives in remote areas where electricity is unavailable or unreliable supply. For electricity supply, a low‐cost, minimum‐emission hybrid renewable energy system is necessary due to power shortages or unavailability, high electricity costs, and large greenhouse gas emissions. The current work develops a standalone hybrid power generating system and assesses its techno‐economic feasibility for rural sites in the Lucknow area of Northern India. To address the electric load requirement, the proposed work includes a system that includes a solar photovoltaic (SPV) module, a lead‐acid battery, a wind turbine (WT), and a diesel generator (DG). The system is sized and optimized using the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software. In this off‐grid system, the proposed system is intended for a home load need of 52.00 kWh/day with a peak of 11.04 kW. The technical and financial specifications are drawn from the local Indian market for the proposed standalone system. In this article, seven different resource combinations are investigated. A combination of 13 kW DG, 16 kW SPV, 50 kWh lead‐acid battery, 9 kW inverter, and 4 kW WT produces the best optimal system. With a 98.4% renewable portion, the cost of energy and total net present cost are $0.162/kWh and $57 390, respectively. The sensitivity analysis inflation and discount rates are 5.5% and 8%, respectively. As a consequence of the findings, we can conclude that the suggested standalone system is more cost‐effective for rural areas in Northern India.

Technical and Economic Feasibility of Solar Photovoltaic Systems for A Residential Home in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

To generate power and electricity for residential buildings, most countries in the world rely on fossil fuels. As a result of persistent increase and fluctuations of fossil fuels costs which negatively affect individual's financial advancement, several countries were inclined to develop and use cost-effective renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic (PV) systems. The objective of this research is to examine the amount of electrical energy that can be generated from a renewable energy source using a photovoltaic system, as well as the economic impact on the Saudi individual. Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software was used to carry out a feasibility study (HOMER)to simulate the use of PV systems and all potential equipment combinations for a house construction in Riyadh (24.7 N). Furthermore, the cost of using PV systems is calculated. This demonstrated the cost feasibility of achieving a reasonable level of energy entry. When compared to a current fossil fuel, this lowers the cost of energy (COE) and the net present cost (NPC) of the re-enacted power created by a further. The research yielded a list of possible power supply solutions that were sorted by net present cost. Furthermore, according to statistics, electricity consumption in the Kingdom is expected to increase by 0.2 percent in 2020, indicating the impact of PV costs and fossil fuel prices on the best alternatives. It now stands at 289.3 million GWh, up from 288.71 million GWh in 2019.

Techno-Economic Viability Assessment of Standalone Solar PV System for Rural Electric Power Supply

The techno-economic analysis emphasizing on energy production and cost of energy from photovoltaic stand-alone system at Umudike in eastern Nigeria was analyzed in this paper. This was carried out by obtaining data on the daily energy consumption of umudike, excess electricity and unmet electric load. The annual average solar irradiation considered in this study was obtained as 4.71kWh/m2/day. Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software was used to perform the technical and economic analysis of the stand-alone system in Umudike to ensure generation of uninterrupted power supply and to meet its energy demands, a photovoltaic system of 78.2 kW should be installed at a net present cost of $442,683 and an initial capital cost of $330,211. The photovoltaic stand-alone system will help to proffer solution to the daily power outages lasting several hours in Umudike. The photovoltaic Standalone System is a good source of continuous power generation, as it reduces combustion of fossil fuels and the consequent carbon dioxide emission which is the main cause of greenhouse-effect and global warming.

Investigate the optimal power system by using hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software

Increasing the effects of global pollution and the availability of renewable energy sources has push many countries to use reasonable energy sources such as wind and solar energy. This paper presents a case study of evaluating a hybrid renewable energy system by using a hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources (HOMER) software program based on the entered data available from the net for the considered location. The hybrid system consisting of a wind turbine, a photovoltaic system, a battery and a diesel generator. The simulation results are presented in a graphical curves n HOMER software. The obtained results indicate that by using the HOMER simulation program, the optimal design of the hybrid electrical power system for the considered location can be achieved which can help the designer to decide the types and number of the competent required for conducting the intending hybrid electrical power system which results in optimum output power in addition to reducing the overall operating costs.

An integrated waste-to-energy approach: A resilient energy system design for sustainable communities

The idea of sustainable cities and communities is a collective goal that runs across intergovernmental programs, like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Agenda 2063 strategic framework. However, with several communities in sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Asia having no access to electricity, this objective is still a “mirage”. Developing a resilient energy system for an unelectrified community should involve a thorough assessment and integration of the local energy resources in a decentralized generation and distribution system. For example, technologies that convert the waste generated in the community into biogas should be a part of microgrid systems. This paper thus proposes a microgrid solution for small communities where a combination of waste-to-energy, battery storage, and solar photovoltaic technologies can provide enough energy needed for the sustainable development of local communities. An unelectrified village in Nigeria has been selected as a case study. The energy demand for the village was carefully analyzed as 574 kWh/day. Techno-economic analysis of the hybrid solar PV/biogas/diesel system fit to serve this load was carried out using hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software. The optimum hybrid system configuration was found to have a net present cost of $436,943 for 25 years with carbon dioxide emission amounting to 4,070 kg/year, compared to the traditional solar/diesel/battery microgrid which will require net present cost of $655,521 and emit 22,648 kg of carbon dioxide annually. Also, the cost of energy from this system is $0.151/kWh which is similar to the average grid tariff in the region. From the breakeven grid distance analysis, it was noted that the proposed solution is much more economical than grid extension for communities above a distance of 2.78 km to the grid.

Optimal Hybrid Renewable Energy System Design for a Village in Perak, Malaysia

This paper discusses on the Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) to supply electricity to Kampung Selarong, Pengkalan Hulu, Perak. The location of the project was chosen by considering the type of area the village was situated in, which was a rural area. Kampung Selarong mainly relies on diesel fuel for electricity generation because. Grid extension to this area is costly due to its location. Unfortunately, the usage of diesel–powered generators were expensive because of its high price, soaring levels of maintenance and operation. Diesel generators also was identified to cause harm towards the environment because it contributes to greenhouse gases, global warming, and abrupt climate changes. As a alternative to curbing the usage of diesel – powered generators, HRES was proposed in Kampung Selarong. This project aims to collect load power data around Kampung Selarong and feed those data into the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software (HOMER) to get an in-depth analysis of the load power consumption in the village. Upon completion of data analysis, these configurations were compared to obtain desired configurations for a combination of PV, diesel – powered generators and battery storage system.

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of a hybrid renewable energy system using multi-objective genetic algorithm: A case study for remote Island in Bangladesh

Renewable hybrid energy systems are well-proven to be capable of supplying reliable power in the remote areas, where grid extension is not viable due to geographical constraints, but not absolutely emissions free. The present study investigates a hybrid energy system that entails photovoltaic module, wind turbine, biogas generator, and vanadium redox flow battery for supplying stable power to a remote Island, Saint Martin, Bangladesh. Two well-known multi-objective optimisation techniques such as non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II and infeasibility driven evolutionary algorithm are applied to size the hybrid system components based on the cost of energy ($/kWh) and life cycle emissions (kg CO2-eq/yr) under a certain reliability. In addition, a fuzzy decision-making technique is applied to find the optimal solution. A comparative analysis of using single objective function is compared with the multi-objective one. In addition, results from the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimisation technique is compared with the widely utilized software hybrid optimisation of multiple energy resources tool and the infeasibility driven evolutionary algorithm. Although the cost of energy is relatively comparable between the objective functions considered, the multi-objective approach provides better environmental benefits than the single objective optimisation system. The analyzed results also indicate that the intelligent techniques are the superior to the hybrid optimisation of multiple energy resources software tool in terms of costs and environmental point of view. Furthermore, the unit electricity cost of the proposed hybrid system configuration is comparable with the grid electricity supply at the loss of power supply probability of over 8% with significantly lower life cycle emissions.

Towards sustainable energy system options for improving energy access in Southern Africa

Access to modern energy services is one of the pre-requisites to improved livelihood, yet the poor, particularly in developing countries, remain tied to unhealthy and inefficient traditional fuels. Renewable energy technologies are increasingly popular energy supply alternatives to fossil-based fuels in many countries. This study presents sustainable energy system implementation options for increasing energy access in developing countries, with special emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa. A feasibility case study and various implementation options are presented for possible deployment of these systems. Hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software was used to simulate and validate the proposed hybrid system design and performance. The simulation results indicate that hybrid systems would be feasible options for distributed generation of electric power for remote locations and areas not connected to the electricity grid. Such a hybrid energy system, through providing modern energy services, gives promise to free-up rural communities to engage in productive activities. The opportunity to power or facilitate productive activities such as agro-processing, fabrication and services can potentially reduce poverty.

Grid Parity and Defection Studies in Major Philippine Cities Using Solar Photovoltaic-Plus-Storage Configuration

Due to the rapidly declining costs of solar photovoltaic (solar PV) modules and batteries, the possibility of defecting from the grid is starting to become an alternative for some consumers. Should many consumers defect from the grid, given the current rate structures, electricity prices would increase even faster which will further encourage more people to defect from the grid. This positive feedback loop has been called the “utility death spiral”. Previous grid defection studies were conducted in the United States, Australia, as well as some countries in Europe. In this work, the technical feasibility and economic viability of grid parity and defection were determined for residential customers in the major cities of the Philippines (Manila, Cebu and Davao) based on the franchise areas of Manila Electric Company, Visayan Electric Company, and Davao Light and Power Company. The grid defection analysis was divided into customer clustering, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) calculation, and finally grid parity comparison. Three main clusters were identified based on the k-means clustering by utilizing 18 different features in order to get a more detailed overview on how many customers of each type are more likely to defect based on the representative load profiles from MERALCO. Average silhouette widths of 0.657, 0.587 and 0.585 were obtained for the three clusters. Based on the clusters, the LCOE of optimally sized solar PV-battery systems were calculated using Hybrid Optimization Model for Multiple Energy Resources Software, from 2018 up to 2050. The LCOE data were then compared to the projected retail electricity prices based on the actual data from the mentioned distribution utilities to find the economic viability of grid defection per customer cluster. Results show that grid parity and defection would be possible for residential customers starting in the next 30 y, with customers from Cebu more likely to defect first followed by Manila and then Davao. Based on the clustering, it was observed that the grid parity occurred earliest in Cluster C, followed by Cluster B, and then Cluster A. Different scenarios were also explored depending on the rate of decrease of local prices of photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries, and a combination of both. Results show that decreasing battery prices play a bigger role achieving grid parity in the country.

Techno-economic and environmental analysis of hybrid energy systems for a university in Australia

ABSTRACTIntegrating renewable energies into the grid has proven to be a promising solution to address clean environment. In this aspect, there have been several studies conducted on distributed energy resources to deliver power efficiently with more reliance at many places including isolated villages, resorts, etc. In this paper, we address the optimum sizing of renewable energy source like photovoltaics connected to the grid and stand-alone mode of operation for Victoria University in Footscray, Australia, after analysing the electricity load. These models were compared with optimised model of diesel generator as the source of energy. Economic feasibility and environmental impact analyses have been conducted for these optimised models using Hybrid Optimization Model for Multiple Energy Resources software.

Economic Feasibility of Renewable Electricity Generation Systems for Local Government Office: Evaluation of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in South Korea

While environmental and energy concerns have become global issues, the government of South Korea has made notable efforts and formulated plans for the diffusion of renewable energy generation facilities for the nation’s public and governmental institutions. Accordingly, Jeju Island has become one of the most promising locations for utilizing renewable energy resources. This study aims to propose potential configurations for renewable energy generation facilities (mainly solar and wind energy facilities) in response to the electricity demand of the main local governmental offices of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The study utilizes the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software to simulate two optimized configurations for generation at a cost of energy of $0.306 per kWh (independent) and $0.204 per kWh (grid-connected) with 100% renewable fraction for the island. The implications of the simulation results and limitations of the study are discussed.

Feasibility Investigation of a Hybrid On-Grid Wind Photovoltaic Retrofitting System

This paper investigates the feasibility of wind–photovoltaic (PV) penetration into an existing utility grid system for the city of Ibrahimyya in Jordan. Ibrahimyya is selected because it enjoys both high annual wind speed of 7.27 m/s and high annual solar radiation of $\text{6.05}\;{\text{kWh}}/{\text{m}}^2/{\text{day}}$ . Two sizing methods are presented using MATLAB and hybrid optimization multiple energy resources software. Thousands of iterations have been carried out in order to get the global autonomous sizing solution that is used for economic analysis. Results show that three CS6X-310 PV panels and eight GE1.5sle-77 wind turbines are the optimal choice. A step-by-step analysis of the proposed system is presented. The net present cost (NPC) is 65 069 349$. The cost of energy (COE) is 0.0817$/kWh. A sensitivity analysis on interest rate, inflation rate, wind power law exponent, annual average daily energy demand, and fuel price is implemented to assess the robustness of the system. The results prove the feasibility to apply the proposed hybrid wind–PV system for this city. The same procedure can be applied anywhere.

Evaluation of wind power generation potential using a three hybrid approach for households in Ardebil Province, Iran

The objective of the present paper is to conduct a thorough technical–economic evaluation for the construction of small wind turbines in six areas within Ardabil province of Iran using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software, and also to rank these areas by a hybrid approach composed of Data Envelopment Analysis, Balanced Scorecard, and Game Theory methodologies. Higher accuracy of the proposed hybrid approach and its ability to properly detect the relationships between the decision-making components make it preferable over the simple Data Envelopment Analysis method. Technical–economic feasibility study is conducted by analyzing wind speed data for period from 2008 to 2014 using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources software. In the next step, the type of equipment used in the design, benefit, costs, total net costs, depreciation and amount of generated electricity are obtained separately for each location. The results show that; Airport, Nir, Namin, Bilasavar, Firozabad and Ardabil were rank first to last respectively.