Optimum design of hybrid renewable energy system through load forecasting and different operating strategies for rural electrification

This paper demonstrates the optimum design and techno-economic assessment of hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for rural electrification in the remote district of Korkadu, India. The renewable energy resources namely solar photovoltaic, wind turbine and bio generators are considered as the main sources because of its high potential in Korkadu district. This paper estimates the load forecasting for the selected district, which is a mixture of different load patterns namely residential, commercial, institutional and agricultural demands. The desired HRES has to meet the forecasted load demand for reliable electrification. The optimum design and techno-economic analysis of proposed HRES system is carried using powerful tool HOMER. This study also compares HRES’s operational behavior with different operational strategies such as load following strategy, cycle charging strategy and combined strategy of the system. The outcome of the proposed dispatched strategy expressed the contribution of solar power as 86.8%, wind as 12.7% and bio gen power as 0.5% to meet out developed rural load pattern with 6.8% of battery bank losses and 1.78% of converter losses. This research work also illustrate the HRES based power generation can be a cost effective sustainable power alternative to the conventional grid extension system.