Techno-Economic Evaluation of a Hybrid PV-Wind Power Generation System

Abstract

This article investigates the possibility of providing electricity from solar/wind hybrid systems for a remote location with no electricity connection in the city of Edirne in the westernmost province of Turkey in order to decrease the high cost of utilizing only stand-alone diesel system and to achieve considerable fuel savings. In this study, National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables) software is used to perform the techno-economic feasibility of such hybrid systems considering both solar data and wind data. Additionally, the contribution of solar and wind on energy production, cost of energy, and total operating hours of diesel generator is examined for the optimal hybrid configurations. Furthermore, fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions of different hybrid systems are investigated. Finally, suitability of utilizing hybrid solarwind energy system over stand-alone diesel system is discussed mainly based on different solar global irradiances, wind speed, and diesel price.