Technical and economic simulation of a hybrid renewable energy power system design for industrial application

Abstract

Countries in Africa rank the highest in low energy accessibility and air pollution globally. Presenting the urgent need to explore renewable energy sources to tackle the power challenge and reduce the carbon footprint for a greener atmosphere. A novel hybrid wind and solar renewable energy power system (HREPS) coupled to a battery that is capable of powering industrial appliances in the Basse district of The Gambia has been proposed. The HREPS size was estimated automatically with the PVsyst software taking into account the PV power and battery capacity based on the load profile and loss of load probability, with all the necessary meteorological, technical, and economic factors. The optimal size was possible with 20 photovoltaic modules (250 W) and 1 Wind generator (1 KW) compatible with the annual load requirement of about 2555 MWh. These results suggested that the HREPS is reliable for the user’s load demand in all the tested meteorological conditions of the study area. When the HREPS is linked to any other renewable source, it shows the potential of gaining about 8395 kWh annually in the battery. The continuous operation of the hybrid system for 21 years presents a net gain of > 400% for the standalone systems with a projected gain of > 600% when linked to a small smart grid system. Since high taxes may scuttle these gains, it is recommended that the Government encourage investment in renewable energy power systems by subsidizing the taxes on the purchase of items to make them more affordable.