Feasibility of satisfying electrical energy needs with hybrid stand alone systems for application in Tehran, Iran

The utilization of hybrid energy systems comprised of wind, photovoltaic, biomass, and geothermal technologies is growing, mainly as a result of increasing concerns about the environmental impacts caused by fossil fuels. The economic feasibility is examined here of using hybrid systems to supply the energy needs for a household in Tehran, Iran. Wind-photovoltaic-diesel hybrid systems are considered in this investigation. Hydrogen is employed by the diesel generator so as to ensure a clean fuel is used, leading to little environmental impact. In addition, battery storage is utilized in the system reliability assessment. HOMER software is utilized for the economic assessment and optimization. The key factors considered in the investigation are as follows: incident solar radiation, wind speed, electrical demand profile for the household, equipment characteristics, and hydrogen fuel costs. The average daily electricity consumption, averaged over an annual cycle, is 17 kWh/d, and the peak electrical demand is 1.5 kW, for the household considered. The electrical supply system is required to satisfy these requirements. The analysis results from the case study show that, among five hybrid systems for supplying electrical requirements, the most economical is the wind-hydrogen-battery hybrid system, which has a total net present cost of $63,190 and a cost of energy of $0.783/kWh (based on 2014 US$).