Techno-economic viability of on grid micro-hybrid PV/wind/Gen system for an educational building in Iran

In this research, a highly potential campus site for solar/wind energy production is identified with the purpose of micro-hybrid system installation in on-grid mode to sellback the excess electricity and hence economize the building as a source of income. A PV/wind/grid and PV/wind/grid/gen system are surveyed techno-economic wise. For case1, the net present cost (NPC) equals to $49,022, renewable fraction (RF) of 85.5%, and cost of energy (COE) $0.0024 is achieved at an inflation rate of 10% and wind speed of 6.8 m/s. While for the best feasible design of case2 (case2d), the NPC = $224,430, COE = $0.0272, RF = 63.6% are obtained. The results indicated that for a low inflation rate a simple PV/grid is appropriate and with the increase of inflation, more equipment incorporation to the system is a preferable choice. Increasing the number of wind turbine cause NPC reduction and the wind speed increase leads to COE reduction. The results indicated that the case1 with 10 XL10R and 76.0 kW generator capacity could generate 315000 kWh electricity which means 69.2% expenditure decline compared to when one turbine is used (maximum annual electricity production and minimum NPC). Increment of inflation rate from 10% to 15% at $0.35 biodiesel price, increases the RF from 14% to about 50%. This implies that when the fuel price is low together with the high inflation rate, the renewability of the system is more significant.

Automated summary

This research identifies a highly potential campus site for solar/wind energy production, aiming to install a micro-hybrid system in on-grid mode to sellback excess electricity for income. Techno-economic surveys were conducted on different PV/wind/grid system configurations, showing differences in cost, renewable fraction, and cost of energy. Factors like inflation rate and wind speed impact the system's cost-effectiveness, with different equipment setups leading to varying outcomes. Increasing the number of wind turbines and higher wind speeds can reduce costs and energy expenses in the system.