The design of a photovoltaic/biomass hybrid electrical energy system for a rural village in Cambodia

A hybrid renewable energy system, consisting of a 1.27 kWp solar photovoltaic generator, a 15 kWe biomass gasification system and a 7.28 kWh battery backup, has been designed for the electrification of a representative village, namely Chhouk Ksach in Cambodia, which is not currently connected to the electrical power grid and where car batteries are used for electrification. The hybrid system is designed to ensure that the load demand is supplied for 24 hours a day throughout the year. The photovoltaic generator allows the gasification system to shut down when the load demand is small during daytime hours. The system has an electrical generation capacity of 34,376 kWh per year of which 4% is generated by the photovoltaic system and 96% by the biomass gasification system. The annual load demand is 24,518 kWh, of which 90% is taken directly from the biomass gasification system, 3% is taken directly from the photovoltaic system and 7% is taken from the backup battery. The annual net loss is estimated to be 2,878 kWh leaving an energy surplus of 6, 9 8 0 kWh, which can be used for charging external batteries.