Techno-Economic Analysis of a Hybrid Grid-Connected/PV/Wind System in Pakistan

Abstract

In view of the current energy crisis prevailing in Pakistan, renewable energy resources are considered as practical and economical alternatives. In this work, technical as well as economic aspects of hybrid photovoltaic (PV) and wind systems connected to commercial grid are investigated for selected locations of Pakistan. A pre-feasibility study of the renewable resources was done using NREL’s Geospatial Toolkit having a broad meteorological database and additionally, a database of various renewable energy system components from different manufacturers. The locations were selected on the basis of favorable environmental criteria based on meteorological data e.g. daily, monthly and annual profiles of solar irradiance, temperatures, wind speeds etc. The suggested hybrid system was simulated in NREL’s HOMER software over the system life span as guaranteed by the manufacturers. Performances and economic impacts of various components constituting the system in different locations were then analyzed to draw a conclusion with respect to the least calculated Net Present Cost (NPC). Finally, an optimum hybrid system with most appropriate components was suggested for the location that rendered least NPC. The consumer-end advantages of such systems over grid-alone system were also presented. The system was simulated for four different locations in Pakistan and was shown that it could input an adequate amount of energy into the main grid.