Hybrid Energy System for Remote Area - An Action Plan for Cost Effective Power Generation

Hybrid energy systems (HES), which utilize different renewable resources such as wind, solar, biomass, small/micro hydro, with fossil fuel powered diesel/petrol generator to provide electric power, are well suited for remote rural areas. This paper presents a general methodological framework for the formulation of an action plan for the small-scale hybrid energy system for remote area. The action plan is the output of a six stage procedure: (a) Selecting cluster of villages, (b) Demand assessment, (c) Resource assessment, (d) Estimation of unit cost of different resources, (e) Sizing and optimization, and (f) Model formulation. The action plan is formed on the basis of cost effective modelling for remote rural area that is minimization of energy production cost. A numerical example is included to demonstrate the action plan.