Hybridization of a geothermal, wind, solar, and battery system for clean, sustainable power production in cold regions

Hybridization of multiple energy sources—particularly renewable ones—with energy storage technologies represents a viable, sustainable, and reliable approach to delivering zero-/low-carbon energy, minimizing carbon-based emissions, and supporting decarbonization and sustainability efforts. In this research, the designed hybrid system encompasses geothermal—a binary Organic Rankine Cycle with one production and one injection deep vertical well—wind, solar, and diesel (used only as an emergency backup) systems, along with battery and hydrogen storage technologies, to provide long-term clean energy in a cold climate. To develop this hybrid concept and examine its techno-economic performance, a study area representative of cold-climate regions in northern Canada was selected. Based on the study area characteristics and energy optimization management over the project's lifetime (30+ years), the geothermal system's year-round operation was scheduled as fully active (December–March), fully inactive (June–September), and optimized during the remaining months to ensure productivity and geo-reservoir recharge. To obtain realistic and reliable findings, extensive attempts were made to gather actual data/costs/prices for various hybrid components. The technical evaluation demonstrates that the designed hybridization strategy can yield a higher annual electricity output for the study area, with a levelized cost of energy of ∼0.36 CAD$/kWh—nearly half that of the current diesel-based facility—while maintaining minimal environmental impacts. The economic evaluation reveals that the payback period and the internal rate of return value are estimated at ∼18 years and ∼7%, respectively. This hybridization analysis can be applied to other cold-climate regions with favourable geothermal potential.