Optimization and economic evaluation of small scale hybrid solar/wind power for remote areas in Egypt

Egypt has an area of 1,001,449 km 2. Egyptian Electricity Grid covers a small part from this area. Therefore, most remote areas in Egypt suffer from Electricity shortage. This paper is focused on the solution of this problem by a small scale hybrid solar-wind power generation system. Wind data (wind speed - wind power density - capacity factor) and solar data (solar radiation - sunshine duration hour) at Mediterranean sea coast, Red sea coast and Western desert are collected and analyzed. Load nature, the standard of living in mentioned areas and estimated demand are the parameters that determine the load profile. According to analyzed data and cost of energy for different types of resources, explicit steps to determine the optimization system configuration and optimal sizing (solar cell and wind turbine parameter) are presented for every site. The optimization based on finding the minimum capital cost feed the load demand and maintain the system reliability. The results obtained are compared with stand alone PV systems based on economic valuation. The proposed system is an efficient to supply remote areas with Electricity and more economical than stand alone PV systems. The model is created using HOMER software.