Feasibility analysis of renewable based hybrid energy system for the remote community in Pakistan

Grid power outage (load shedding) is a common phenomenon in Pakistan, and it is more severe in rural communities where load shedding ranges up to 18 hours a day. The conventional methods of electricity generation are inadequate to meet the load demand. Pakistan is one of the best places in the world from the perspective of solar irradiance. The exploitable estimated potential of wind energy in Pakistan is also quite sufficient, i.e. 132,000 MW. The key objective of the study is to utilize the renewable energy resources and produce electricity at lower cost. In this paper, solar photovoltaic panel (PV) and wind system as energy sources, battery as storage with diesel generator (DG) as a backup for a remote community has been presented. A total of 8 (4 off-grid and 4 grid integrated) alternatives are considered. HOMER software is used for simulation, economic optimization, sensitivity analysis, optimal design, DG running period and the net electricity supplied by the grid.