TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF AN OFF-GRID HYBRID ENERGY SYSTEM WITH HOMER PRO

Abstract

The decrease in fossil-based energy sources and increasing environmental problems increase the tendency to renewable energy sources day by day. The potential of renewable energy sources differs according to the region where the energy will be produced. For this reason, it is crucial to conduct a good feasibility study that deals with the selected systems from a technical and economic point of view before making an investment decision on energy conversion systems based on renewable energy sources.

In this study, the most suitable equipment and capacities were investigated by examining the techno-economic analysis of a hybrid system created with wind-solar renewable energies for a detached house, which is considered off-grid, in a rural area of Tekirdağ province (40o58.7ı N, 27o30.7ı E). Investigations were carried out using the HOMER Pro (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable) program. The wind and solar energy potential of Tekirdağ province were obtained from the NASA renewable energy resources database added to the HOMER Pro program. The daily electricity requirement of the sample house was chosen as 11.27 kWh, and the current peak electrical load was chosen as 2.39 kW. A wind turbine is connected to the AC busbars, solar collectors and battery group connected to the DC busbars, and a converter that converts energy between AC and DC busbars in the energy conversion system. In order to determine the optimum capacities of the system elements, 27486 different simulations were performed by HOMER Pro. The selection of the most suitable system among these was determined according to the lowest net present cost (NPC) value. In addition, the energy production capacities that will occur in the case of different wind speeds were also investigated. Accordingly, the system to be installed with a solar panel with a capacity of 6.25 kW, PV-MPPT with a capacity of 1 kW, 2 wind turbines with a capacity of 1 kW, 8 Lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 6V-167 Ah, and a converter with a capacity of 2.5 kW has been determined will generate electrical energy of 5433 kWh per year. In addition, it has been determined that 61.8% of this produced energy will be obtained from solar energy and 38.2% from wind energy, and the simple payback period of the investment will be 14 years. It is thought that this study will provide valuable information to researchers and investors.