A hybrid electric/hydro storage solution for standalone photovoltaic applications in remote areas

Lack of electricity and water, the two fundamental resources in modern societies, is still a major issue in many developing countries and remote areas. This paper proposes a standalone renewable power system to solve the energy and water shortage in remote areas with abundant solar energy. The system utilizes a photovoltaic (PV) panel as the main energy source, which is controlled by a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique. A battery pack is used as the main energy storage device to smooth the fluctuation of solar power and to mitigate load transients and variations. In addition, a hydro storage system is used for water storage and supply, and also for supplying extra electric power via a hydro-turbine generator. The electricity and water demand of three households are considered for the system. The system modeling, unit sizing, control, simulation studies and the actual hardware implementation are presented and discussed in the paper.