Utilisation of renewable energy sources in deep rural areas

An evaluation of the suitability of different renewable energy sources to supply a group of loads in a rural area is made. A computer programme with various subroutines has been developed for matching renewable energy sources characteristics with rural loads profiles, cost effectively. Both unitary and hybrid systems have been considered. It has been demonstrated that for the loads considered, an hydro based source is the most cost effective. Solar and wind based systems require high capital costs.