Optimal hybrid renewable energy design in autonomous system using Modified Electric System Cascade Analysis and Homer software

In this paper, a method for designing hybrid electricity generation systems is presented. It is based on the Modified Electric System Cascade Analysis method. The Power Pinch analysis is used as a guideline for development of an isolated power supply system, which consists of photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and energy storage units. The design procedure uses a simulation model, developed using MATLAB/SIMULINK and applies the developed algorithms for obtaining an optimal design. A validation of the Modified Electric System Cascade Analysis method is performed by comparing the obtained results with those from the Homer Pro software. The procedure takes as inputs hourly wind speed, solar radiation, demands, as well as cost data, for the generation and storage facilities. It is also applied to minimize the loss of power supply probability and to minimize the number of storage units. The algorithm has been demonstrated with a case study on a site in Oujda city, with daily electrical energy demand of 18.7 kWh, resulting in a combination of photovoltaic panels, wind turbine and batteries at minimal cost. The results from the Modified Electric System Cascade Analysis and HOMER Pro show that both tools successfully identified the optimal solution with difference of 0.04% in produced energy, 5.4% in potential excess of electricity and 0.07% in the cost of the energy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.