Optimum standalone hybrid renewable energy system design using HOMER for a small community of Portland, Victoria

Abstract

Renewable energy systems (RES) are increasingly popular due to depletion of natural sources. Optimal sizing oi hybrid RES is essential to permit a factual penetration of the renewable energy sources. Improper sizing might lead to increased establishment cost or Coptimal design configuration of standalone RES with battery storage using HOMER for a small community located in Portland, Victoria. To achieve that, a pre-feasibility study has been conducted. Sensitivity analysis has been performed for different values of hourly wind speed, solar irradiation, scaled annual average load and annual capacity shortage. Various renewable energy sources along with energy storage devices and their application are discussed in terms of cost and performance. The different solutions are analyzed and the optimum system configuration is selected. The characteristics of the optimally selected system are discussed.