IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v333y2025ics0360544225028786.html

Site-specific multi-case analysis for carbon-free energy deployment in California using multi-objective optimization

Author

Listed:
  • Basnet, Manjur R.
  • Gardiner, John A.
  • Wang, Hailei

Abstract

The stochastic nature of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind have necessitated options for energy storage. To meet the base demands, consistent generation sources such as, nuclear and geothermal, are beneficial. Moreover, the policy changes based on different regions and countries are also to be considered when designing a reliable energy system to meet the growing energy demands. In this study, a multi-objective optimization to reduce the system levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and emissions has been conducted. A review of the existing literatures for the potential solar, wind, geothermal and hydrogen storage locations in California have been identified. In addition to this, three different case studies have been conducted based on the nuclear energy policies and hydrogen sale price scenarios to study the impact on the system operation and configuration. Based on the results, it was concluded that the hydrogen sale price change from 3.7 to 1.85 $/kg had no significant impact on the system configuration and only decreased the overall system LCOE by 14.9%. Similarly, the use of only RES coupled with battery storage increases the system LCOE by around 26.75% as compared to case 1 and 10.3% as compared to case 2 while the emissions remain comparable to the cases with nuclear sources. The system favored wind turbines in all the cases along with rapid utilization of energy storage options such as batteries and hydrogen to meet the demand.

Suggested Citation

  • Basnet, Manjur R. & Gardiner, John A. & Wang, Hailei, 2025. "Site-specific multi-case analysis for carbon-free energy deployment in California using multi-objective optimization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:333:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225028786
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.137236
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225028786
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.137236?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fathima, A. Hina & Palanisamy, K., 2015. "Optimization in microgrids with hybrid energy systems – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 431-446.
    2. Brumana, Giovanni & Franchini, Giuseppe & Ghirardi, Elisa & Perdichizzi, Antonio, 2022. "Techno-economic optimization of hybrid power generation systems: A renewables community case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    3. Steigerwald, Björn & Weibezahn, Jens & Slowik, Martin & von Hirschhausen, Christian, 2023. "Uncertainties in estimating production costs of future nuclear technologies: A model-based analysis of small modular reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    4. Vatankhah Ghadim, Hadi & Haas, Jannik & Breyer, Christian & Gils, Hans Christian & Read, E. Grant & Xiao, Mengzhu & Peer, Rebecca, 2025. "Are we too pessimistic? Cost projections for solar photovoltaics, wind power, and batteries are over-estimating actual costs globally," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 390(C).
    5. He, Yi & Guo, Su & Zhou, Jianxu & Ye, Jilei & Huang, Jing & Zheng, Kun & Du, Xinru, 2022. "Multi-objective planning-operation co-optimization of renewable energy system with hybrid energy storages," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 776-790.
    6. Sens, Lucas & Neuling, Ulf & Kaltschmitt, Martin, 2022. "Capital expenditure and levelized cost of electricity of photovoltaic plants and wind turbines – Development by 2050," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 525-537.
    7. Vegel, Benjamin & Quinn, Jason C., 2017. "Economic evaluation of small modular nuclear reactors and the complications of regulatory fee structures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 395-403.
    8. Shen, Wei & Chen, Xi & Qiu, Jing & Hayward, Jennifier A & Sayeef, Saad & Osman, Peter & Meng, Ke & Dong, Zhao Yang, 2020. "A comprehensive review of variable renewable energy levelized cost of electricity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    9. Alirezaei, Roshan & Dashti, Reza & Mirhosseini, Mojtaba, 2025. "Analysis of energy supply scenarios using grid-connected hybrid systems: Investigating time-of-use demand response strategy for improving operational performance," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    10. Li, Ruhuan & Zhou, Jun & Qiu, Zitong & Li, Haonan & Li, Jinman & Wu, Ji & Wu, Kai, 2025. "Bi-level optimization of hybrid energy conversion system based on a multi-distinct low-carbon microgrid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    11. Wang, Xiaonan & Palazoglu, Ahmet & El-Farra, Nael H., 2015. "Operational optimization and demand response of hybrid renewable energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 324-335.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pirouz, Behzad & Guerriero, Francesca, 2026. "Multi-objective stochastic optimization problem: a systematic literature review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 405(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Weitzel, Timm & Glock, Christoph H., 2018. "Energy management for stationary electric energy storage systems: A systematic literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 264(2), pages 582-606.
    2. Qu, Chunzi & Bang, Rasmus Noss & Sandal, Leif Kristoffer, 2025. "Construction and operational cost requirements for competitive small modular reactors in Europe," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 401(PA).
    3. Pablo Benalcazar & Adam Suski & Jacek Kamiński, 2020. "Optimal Sizing and Scheduling of Hybrid Energy Systems: The Cases of Morona Santiago and the Galapagos Islands," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-20, August.
    4. Kneiske, T.M. & Braun, M. & Hidalgo-Rodriguez, D.I., 2018. "A new combined control algorithm for PV-CHP hybrid systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 964-973.
    5. O’Dwyer, Edward & Pan, Indranil & Acha, Salvador & Shah, Nilay, 2019. "Smart energy systems for sustainable smart cities: Current developments, trends and future directions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 581-597.
    6. Timmons, David & Gnam, Lukas & Kannan, Shravan Kumar Pinayur & Krail, Jürgen & Piringer, Gerhard & Rixrath, Doris & Wiener, Eva-Maria, 2026. "Optimizing district heating in a fully renewable energy system: An Austrian case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    7. Van Hee, Nick & Peremans, Herbert & Nimmegeers, Philippe, 2024. "Economic potential and barriers of small modular reactors in Europe," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    8. Stringer, Thomas & Joanis, Marcelin & Abdoli, Shiva, 2024. "Power generation mix and electricity price," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    9. Lopez, Gabriel & Pourjamal, Yousef & Breyer, Christian, 2025. "Paving the way towards a sustainable future or lagging behind? An ex-post analysis of the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    10. Vatankhah Ghadim, Hadi & Haas, Jannik & Breyer, Christian & Gils, Hans Christian & Read, E. Grant & Xiao, Mengzhu & Peer, Rebecca, 2025. "Are we too pessimistic? Cost projections for solar photovoltaics, wind power, and batteries are over-estimating actual costs globally," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 390(C).
    11. Rafał Wyszomierski & Piotr Bórawski & Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska & Agnieszka Brelik & Marcin Wysokiński & Magdalena Wiluk, 2025. "The Cost-Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Sources in the European Union’s Ecological Economic Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-29, May.
    12. Zafar Iqbal & Nadeem Javaid & Saleem Iqbal & Sheraz Aslam & Zahoor Ali Khan & Wadood Abdul & Ahmad Almogren & Atif Alamri, 2018. "A Domestic Microgrid with Optimized Home Energy Management System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-39, April.
    13. Wen, Xin & Contreras, Julia Gonzalez & Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle & Sasse, Jan-Philipp & Trutnevyte, Evelina, 2025. "High sensitivity to methodological choices when integrating social acceptance data in electricity system modeling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 402(PA).
    14. Pueyo, Ana & Haas, Jannik, 2025. "Energy transitions in the Pacific, one island at a time: The case of Efate island, Vanuatu," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    15. Abuzayed, A. & Pollitt, M. G. & Liebensteiner, M. & Hochgreb, S., 2025. "Exploring the Feasibility of Low-Carbon Fuel Blends in CCGTs for Deep Decarbonization of Power Systems," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2557, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    16. Zheng, Yingying & Jenkins, Bryan M. & Kornbluth, Kurt & Kendall, Alissa & Træholt, Chresten, 2018. "Optimization of a biomass-integrated renewable energy microgrid with demand side management under uncertainty," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 836-844.
    17. Romero-Quete, David & Garcia, Javier Rosero, 2019. "An affine arithmetic-model predictive control approach for optimal economic dispatch of combined heat and power microgrids," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 1436-1447.
    18. Yang, Biao & Li, Deyou & Wang, Chuanchao & Zhang, Yi & Fu, Xiaolong & Wang, Hongjie, 2024. "Performance analysis of a novel multi-machine compensable pumped hydro compressed air energy storage system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    19. Zhou, P. & Jin, R.Y. & Fan, L.W., 2016. "Reliability and economic evaluation of power system with renewables: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 537-547.
    20. Khasanzoda, Nasrullo & Safaraliev, Murodbek & Zicmane, Inga & Beryozkina, Svetlana & Rahimov, Jamshed & Ahyoev, Javod, 2022. "Use of smart grid based wind resources in isolated power systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:333:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225028786. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.