Development of Hybrid Energy System for a Remote Area in Kutch District of Gujarat State, India

Remote areas, having scattered populations, do not have access to electricity. Providing electricity to such areas through conventional methods is not feasible. Such areas are rich in renewable energy resources. To generate electricity by a single renewable-based resource, huge battery storage will be required due to their intermittent and unreliable nature. The integration of multiple renewable energy resources with batteries and diesel generators minimizes not only the emissions but also the irregularity and huge economics. The present paper reports the results of developing a suitable hybrid energy system (HES) for the electrification of a cluster of five villages located in the Kutch district of Gujarat state, India. A particle swarm optimization algorithm is developed using MATLAB software for finding optimal system size which can fulfill the study area's load demand of 1,548 kWh/day with a peak demand of 285 kW uninterruptedly. The most optimal configuration with the load following strategy is found as PV/Biomass/Diesel Generator/Battery. It is observed that the cost of energy is INR 9.33/kWh and lifecycle cost is INR 60,838,166. PSO-optimized system produces 24% less emissions as compared to HOMER optimized system. The paper also discusses the economic and environmental benefits of proposed HES over other possible hybrid scenarios. Through sensitivity analysis, it is estimated that +/- 20% variation in the capital cost of PV affects the COE significantly.