<span lang="MS">This paper presents a Stand-alone Hybrid Renewable Energy System (SHRES) as an alternative to fossil fuel based generators. The Photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines (WT) are designed for the Malaysian low wind speed conditions with battery Energy Storage (BES) to provide electric power to the load. The appropriate sizing of each component was accomplished using Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) techniques. The optimized hybrid system was examined in MATLAB using two case studies to find the optimum number of PV panels, wind turbines system and BES that minimizes the Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) and Cost of Energy (COE). The hybrid power system was connected to the AC bus to investigate the system performance in supplying a rural settlement. Real weather data at the location of interest was utilized in this paper. The results obtained from the two scenarios were used to compare the suitability of the NSGA-II and MOPSO methods. The NSGA-II method is shown to be more accurate whereas the MOPSO method is faster in executing the optimization. Hence, both these methods can be used for techno-economic optimization of SHRES. </span>

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The thermo-catalytic and biochemical conversion of biomass to hydrogen-rich syngas has been widely reported with less emphasis on the environmental implications of the processes. This mini-review presents an overview of different thermo-catalytic route of converting biomass to hydrogen-rich syngas as well as their environmental impact investigated using life cycle assessment methodology. The review revealed that most of the authors employed, biomass gasification, biomass pyrolysis, reforming and fermentative processes for the hydrogen-rich syngas production. Global warming potential was observed as the most significant environmental impact reported in the reviewed articles. The CO 2 equivalent emissions were found to varies with each of the processes and the type of feedstock used. Trends from literature shows that both thermo-catalytic and biochemical processes have competitive advantages and potential to compete favorable with the existing technology used for hydrogen production. Nevertheless, it cannot be ascertained that these technologies should be excluded from environmental burdens. This mini-review could be a quick guide to future research interest in environmental impact of hydrogen-rich syngas production by thermo-catalytic and biochemical conversion of biomass.

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