A Case Study on PV Assisted Microgrid Using HOMER Pro for Variation of Solar Irradiance Affecting Cost of Energy

Abstract

This paper presents the planning of a grid-connected microgrid model and analyzes its economics using HOMER Pro software. A case study at the location of Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Patiala (Punjab) in India considering grid-connected PV and battery storage systems has been presented in this work. The analysis of the result shows the impact of a grid-connected PV system with battery backup on the overall cost of energy. Also, the role of solar irradiance on the overall output of the PV source has been highlighted by comparing the cost of energy while considering the global horizontal irradiance (GHI). The result shows that the cost of energy varies in an inverse manner with the variation in GHI. This paper shows important aspects in the planning of microgrid on the basis of the location of DERs, resource availability, load profile of consumers, cost of energy, the capacity of DERs including its capital and maintenance cost.