Techno-economic analysis and design of hybrid renewable energy microgrid for rural electrification

Abstract Electricity is the most sought after resource in this world and is crucial for the development of any community. The power system structure has been changing according to the evolving scientific technologies. A novel concept in this direction is a Microgrid (MG) which is a small power system having generation and distribution with negligible presence of transmission. A MG can operate in off-grid (standalone) or grid-connected mode. The objective of this study is to perform techno-economic analysis and to design a MG model for the purpose of rural electrification. The region being considered has different resources which are capable of providing reliable supply to the load. The proposed model is compared economically with the option of grid extension. The study considers power system reliability and economic feasibility as the primary objectives for MG modelling. The village of Jarre which is located in the eastern part of Ethiopian, Somali region, is selected for this study. Particle Swarm Optimization is implemented for obtaining the most economic and reliable MG having Hybrid Renewable Energy Sources (HRES). The simulation is performed using MATLAB and Homer.