Optimizing a Green and Sustainable Off-Grid Energy-System Design: A Real Case

Nickyar Ghadirinejad, Fredric Ottermo, Raheleh Nowzari, Naif Alsaadi and Mazyar Ghadiri Nejad ()
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Nickyar Ghadirinejad: School of Business, Engineering and Science, Halmstad University, SE 30118 Halmstad, Sweden
Fredric Ottermo: School of Business, Engineering and Science, Halmstad University, SE 30118 Halmstad, Sweden
Raheleh Nowzari: Mechanical Engineering Department, Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul 34295, Turkey
Naif Alsaadi: Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Rabigh Branch, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Mazyar Ghadiri Nejad: Industrial Engineering Department, Cyprus International University, Nicosia 99258, Turkey

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: In recent years, unquestionable warnings like the negative effects of CO 2 emissions, the necessity of utilizing sustainable energy sources, and the rising demand for municipal electrification have been issued. Therefore, users are encouraged to provide off-grid and sustainable energy systems for their own homes and businesses, especially if they are located rurally and far from grids. Hence, this study aims to design an off-grid hybrid energy system, in order to minimize both the baseline cost of energy and the net current expenditure in the desired system. To construct such a system, wind generators (WG), photovoltaic arrays (PV), battery banks, and bi-directional converters are considered in the real case of a supermarket with a 20-year lifespan in Malmö, Sweden. Some significant assumptions, such as the usage of renewable energy resources only, electricity production close to the business location, and a maximum allowance of 0.1% unmet are incorporated. To optimize the considered problem, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach as developed to provide the load requirements and establish the number of WGs, PVs, and other equipment. Moreover, to verify the obtained results, the developed system was simulated using HOMER Pro software, and the results are compared and discussed. The results indicated that the designed hybrid energy system is able to perform completely off-grid, while satisfying 99.9% of the yearly electricity demand. The best results obtained by the proposed PSO offered 160, 5, and 350 PVs, WGs, and batteries, respectively, while the best solution found by the simulation method was the use of 384 PVs, 5 WGs, and 189 batteries for the considered off-grid system. This study contributes to decentralized local electrification by utilizing renewable energy sources that have the potential to revolutionize green energy solutions.

Keywords: renewable energy; photovoltaic arrays; wind turbines; particle swarm optimization; real-case problems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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