SIZING OF A HYBRID ENERGY SYSTEM FOR REMOTE LOAD APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Small-sized hybrid power systems may be designed to solve the power supply problem in some rural areas. In most of these areas the energy production is mainly based on energy-intensive and polluting autonomous diesel generator units or on a really expensive and hardly advantageous grid extension. Therefore, the development of hybrid systems that combine different but complementary renewable energy technologies can offer solutions both in the environmental pollution and the economical problem. Sizing of the components of a hybrid energy system is very important for techno-economic reliability under the present study; a method for sizing of a small sized hybrid power system has been developed. The proposed method has been tested by taking into consideration the • annual average hourly values of the load demand, wind speed, insolation and water flow. The results of this algorithm depict the power distribution throughout an average day - and other data like the costs of the combinations, which prove the advantages of the hybrid system over constructing an extension to the nearest existing distribution line or using diesel generators.