Optimization and Feasibility Analysis of Hybrid Distributed Generator Based System With a Comparison of Battery and Hydrogen Energy Storage for Residential Electrification

Indeed, as India progresses towards its mission on green hydrogen production and the adoption of alternative fuels, the development of stand-alone systems supporting the integration of hydrogen energy becomes imperative. Optimal sizing of standalone hybrid systems presents a significant challenge to meet power reliability, technical and economic viability. The present study explores the topology of hybrid energy storage systems in the stand-alone scenario and assesses its technical and economic feasibility through an optimization approach. The objective is to size the components of the standalone system which includes PV generator, wind generator, hydrogen energy storage unit, battery storage unit (BES), electrolyzer and fuel cell rendering low value of loss of power supply probability (LPSP). Also, finest-fitting storage system for the Solar-wind Hybrid Stand-Alone Microgrid (HSAM) is identified. Modeling, simulation, and optimization of the HSAM are carried out using HOMER PRO. A load of 20.46 kW_p and average yearly energy consumption of 165.44 kWh/day was considered for the technical and economic feasibility-based evaluation. Scaled annual average values of input metalogical data such as wind speed, temperature and solar irradiance is considered as sensitivity cases. Based on the simulation results, it can be observed that the proposed HSAM system with HyESS exhibits the lowest values for NPV, O&M Cost, and LCOE compared to other system configurations. From sensitivity analysis it is observed that with variation of resource based inputs like irradiance, wind speed and temperature, there is a fluctuation of nearly 10% in the NPV and LCOE of the HSAM system. The LCOE for this system is estimated to be $0.289/kWh, while the NPV is projected to be $274 470. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for the 25-year project is calculated to be 6.1%, indicating a favorable return on investment. Additionally, the Simple Payback Period is determined to be 8.7 years. Furthermore, validation of the optimal LPSP through HOMER is achieved through creation of an objective function employing a non-linear least square approach. The proposed HyESS outperforms the standard BES with an LPSP of 3.1 × 10⁻⁶ over 4.3 × 10⁻⁴. The suggested system achieves a high level of dependability through LPSP values that are significantly closer to zero, ensuring a reliable operation.