Design and economic analysis of PV-biogas-diesel generator hybrid system for ST. Martin's island

Abstract

Off grid hybrid power system is an attractive method to supply electricity to rural areas, especially for communities living far away from the main grid, where grid extension is not possible. In this project report, a PV-biogas-diesel generator hybrid system has been modeled for the people of St. Martin’s Island, which is located in the north eastern part of the Bay of Bengal. The island is under developed and lacks the electricity supply from the main grid due to its remote location. The PV-biogas-diesel generator hybrid system makes use of biogas and solar power to generate major portion of the electricity as both solar irradiation and biomass is abundant in the island and it provides a green solution to the electricity shortage. The diesel generator is used to meet the energy demand at night which cannot be met by the renewable energy alone. In order to get a practical idea about technical and economical feasibly of setting up a hybrid renewable based power system in St. Martin’s Island, some of the renewable based power plants located in different parts of the country were visited. Furthermore, a field survey is done in order to collect information about the population, load demand and to understand the socio-economic condition of the island. The software used for modelling in this project report is HOMER. HOMER simulated different configurations of the hybrid system and arranged them according to least Net Present Cost (NPC). The configurations are further analyzed considering Cost of Energy (COE) and Operational Cost and the best scenario is chosen considering all the factors. The proposed PVbiogas- diesel hybrid system is able to provide cost effective, reliable and clean energy to the residents of the island.