Optimal Design of Standalone Hybrid Power System Assessment for Grid Unconnected Electrification Location in Saudi Arabia

The introduction of an autonomous hybrid power system in isolated locations without grid electricity coverage can bring about improvement in the standard of living of people residing in these locations. The decreasing oil reserves, the urgent need to protect the environment from pollutant emissions caused by fossil fuel combustion as well as mitigating the impact of climate change have given rise to finding a sustainable and cleaner approach to producing electricity. This research focuses on the application of renewable energy sources (solar and wind) to produce clean, sufficient, and cost-effective electricity to meet the energy demand of a grid-unconnected remote area in Saudi Arabia. Three different system models (solar PV/battery, wind/battery, and PV/wind/battery system cases) were designed and techno-economically investigated against the site's geographical characteristics, meteorological data, and load profile. The designed and optimized energy system is expected to support the country's green initiative plan. The simulation results reveal that solar and wind-based system combinations presented the least energy and net present costs of $0.517/kWh and $736,407 respectively as well as having satisfactory technical performance with no carbon footprints for the intended purpose of off-grid electrification as compared to other feasible system scenarios investigated. Moreover, the outcome of the comparative assessment shows that the optimized configuration is a cost-efficient, sustainable, and ecologically friendly energy system solution for the selected off-grid site.