Optimisation sizing of hybrid wind-diesel systems using linear programming technique

Despite the great potential of hybrid wind-diesel system in supplying energy to remote or island communities, sizing the system components have been a challenging problem for many project managers due to the reliance on various factors. This work considers utilising a fixed speed wind turbine (induction generator) in the hybrid system. It requires energy for start-up operation and this work takes into account for sizing the battery storage. In addition, the trade-off between the number of batteries and diesel generator fuel usage in a system is studied. Linear programming for optimal sizing of batteries needed in a hybrid wind-diesel system, in the context of minimum diesel fuel usage is reported in this paper. Finally, this paper also shows that the storage capacity required in a hybrid system for various wind and load conditions can be computed in a systematic manner.