Design optimization and analysis of hybrid power system

Over the years, harnessing solar power to produce direct current and subsequent electricity to drive either AC or DC load is gaining popularity, not only due to its pre-eminent advantages but also the relatively reduced costs. In a country like Pakistan which is struggling to meet its energy demands, solar power offers the perfect solution in terms of utility in remote areas where conventional power distribution is unavailable. Photovoltaic solar energy is fuel free, maintenance free and long life furnishing up to 25 years of clean energy. Solar energy can be used more effectively in hybrid configuration involving a combination of other energy resources like grid, wind or diesel. In order to execute a hybrid PVS capable of generating energy it is imperative to optimize the proposed system so that the most economic and efficient solution is furnished before implementation. HOMER is specialized software by National Renewable Energy Laboratory USA and is employed specifically for hybrid energy resource design optimizations. In this paper a 3kW solar power system is modeled via HOMER. Grid-solar and diesel-solar system simulations carried out in considerable details are studied to analyze parameters for optimization, consequently leading to economic evaluation of both the hybrid systems. It is deduced that a grid-tied system tends to be more efficient as compared to a standalone generator/diesel-solar system.