IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i20p9012-d1501186.html

Optimization and Evaluation of a Stand-Alone Hybrid System Consisting of Solar Panels, Biomass, Diesel Generator, and Battery Bank for Rural Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Juan Lata-García

    (Grupo GIPI, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador)

  • Néstor Zamora Cedeño

    (Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Universidad Católica Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil 090615, Ecuador)

  • Gary Ampuño

    (Grupo GIPI, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador)

  • Francisco Jurado

    (Research Group in Electrical Research and Technology (PAIDI-TEP-152), University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain)

  • M. Lakshmi Swarupa

    (Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, CVR College of Engineering, Hyderabad 501510, India)

  • Wellington Maliza

    (Centro de Estudios en Tecnologías Aplicadas, Universidad Bolivariana del Ecuador, Duran 501510, Ecuador)

Abstract

In a modern and globalized world, the advances in technology are rapid, especially in terms of energy generation through renewable sources, which is intended to mitigate global warming and reduce all the ravages that are currently occurring around the world. Photovoltaic and biomass generation sources are attractive for implementation due to the abundant energy resources they offer; however, the intermittency of these sources is a disadvantage when it comes to the needs of the load, decreasing the reliability of the system. Therefore, it is essential to use a backup and storage system such as a diesel generator and a battery bank to continuously supply the load demand. This work presents a case study to meet the energy needs of a community made up of 17 low-income homes on an island in the Gulf of Guayaquil in Ecuador. The optimization and economic evaluation of the hybrid system is achieved using specialized software, resulting in the optimized architecture of the renewable energy system based on the available resources of the locality. The architecture is made up of a 22 kW photovoltaic generator and a 1.5 kW biomass generator, while the diesel generator is 12 kW, the battery bank is made up of 58 units of 111 Ah, and the dispatch strategy is load tracking. The results of the economic evaluation indicate that the total cost of the system (TNPC) is USD 96,033, the initial cost for the implementation of the system is USD 36,944, and the levelized cost of energy is USD 0.276, which makes it attractive for implementation. The importance of this research lies in its practical approach to solving electrification challenges in isolated and low-income communities through a hybrid renewable energy system. By demonstrating how intermittent sources like solar and biomass can be effectively combined with backup and storage systems, the study provides a reliable, economically viable, and implementable solution, addressing both the global need to mitigate climate change and the local need for accessible energy in vulnerable regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Lata-García & Néstor Zamora Cedeño & Gary Ampuño & Francisco Jurado & M. Lakshmi Swarupa & Wellington Maliza, 2024. "Optimization and Evaluation of a Stand-Alone Hybrid System Consisting of Solar Panels, Biomass, Diesel Generator, and Battery Bank for Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:9012-:d:1501186
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9012/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9012/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Feng, Wei & Jin, Ming & Liu, Xu & Bao, Yi & Marnay, Chris & Yao, Cheng & Yu, Jiancheng, 2018. "A review of microgrid development in the United States – A decade of progress on policies, demonstrations, controls, and software tools," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1656-1668.
    2. Koholé, Yemeli Wenceslas & Wankouo Ngouleu, Clint Ameri & Fohagui, Fodoup Cyrille Vincelas & Tchuen, Ghislain, 2024. "Optimization of an off-grid hybrid photovoltaic/wind/diesel/fuel cell system for residential applications power generation employing evolutionary algorithms," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    3. Yadav, Subhash & Kumar, Pradeep & Kumar, Ashwani, 2024. "Techno-economic assessment of hybrid renewable energy system with multi energy storage system using HOMER," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    4. Hakimi, S.M. & Moghaddas-Tafreshi, S.M., 2009. "Optimal sizing of a stand-alone hybrid power system via particle swarm optimization for Kahnouj area in south-east of Iran," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1855-1862.
    5. Thirunavukkarasu, M. & Lala, Himadri & Sawle, Yashwant, 2023. "Techno-economic-environmental analysis of off-grid hybrid energy systems using honey badger optimizer," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    6. Lata-García, Juan & Jurado, Francisco & Fernández-Ramírez, Luis M. & Sánchez-Sainz, Higinio, 2018. "Optimal hydrokinetic turbine location and techno-economic analysis of a hybrid system based on photovoltaic/hydrokinetic/hydrogen/battery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 611-620.
    7. Khan, Faizan A. & Pal, Nitai & Saeed, Syed H., 2021. "Optimization and sizing of SPV/Wind hybrid renewable energy system: A techno-economic and social perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    8. Ribó-Pérez, David & Herraiz-Cañete, Ángela & Alfonso-Solar, David & Vargas-Salgado, Carlos & Gómez-Navarro, Tomás, 2021. "Modelling biomass gasifiers in hybrid renewable energy microgrids; a complete procedure for enabling gasifiers simulation in HOMER," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 501-512.
    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. Nuri Caglayan, 2025. "Optimization of Grid-Connected and Off-Grid Hybrid Energy Systems for a Greenhouse Facility," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-32, September.
    2. Villarroel, Nicolás & Lazo, Joaquín & Watts, David, 2025. "High energy costs in insular energy systems and the potential for integrating innovative renewable solutions: The case of Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(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. Mohtasim, Md. Shahriar & Das, Barun K. & Paul, Utpol K. & Kibria, Md. Golam & Hossain, Md Sanowar, 2025. "Hybrid renewable multi-generation system optimization: Attaining sustainable development goals," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    2. Mehmet Ali Köprü & Dursun Öztürk & Burak Yıldırım, 2024. "A Dispatch Strategy for the Analysis of the Technical, Economic, and Environmental Performance of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-20, August.
    3. Assouo, Thierry & Lontsi, Frederic & Boupda, Orelien & Koholé, Yemeli Wenceslas & Njitacke, Zeric Tabekoueng, 2025. "Modeling and techno-economic study of a hybrid renewable energy power plant for electrification in rural areas with an equatorial climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    4. Roy, Tushar Kanti & Mahmud, Md. Apel & Oo, Amanullah Maung Than, 2025. "Techno-economic feasibility of stand-alone hybrid energy systems for a remote Australian community: Optimization and sensitivity analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    5. Thirunavukkarasu, M. & Lala, Himadri & Sawle, Yashwant, 2023. "Techno-economic-environmental analysis of off-grid hybrid energy systems using honey badger optimizer," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    6. Ozturk, Zafer & Terkes, Musa & Demirci, Alpaslan, 2024. "Optimal planning of hybrid power systems under economic variables and different climatic regions: A case study of Türkiye," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    7. Rajanna, S. & Saini, R.P., 2016. "Modeling of integrated renewable energy system for electrification of a remote area in India," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 175-187.
    8. Soheil Mohseni & Alan C. Brent, 2022. "A Metaheuristic-Based Micro-Grid Sizing Model with Integrated Arbitrage-Aware Multi-Day Battery Dispatching," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-24, October.
    9. Makhdoomi, Sina & Askarzadeh, Alireza, 2020. "Daily performance optimization of a grid-connected hybrid system composed of photovoltaic and pumped hydro storage (PV/PHS)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 272-285.
    10. Jihed Hmad & Azeddine Houari & Allal El Moubarek Bouzid & Abdelhakim Saim & Hafedh Trabelsi, 2023. "A Review on Mode Transition Strategies between Grid-Connected and Standalone Operation of Voltage Source Inverters-Based Microgrids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-41, June.
    11. Riasad Amin & Deepika Mathur & David Ompong & Kerstin K. Zander, 2024. "Integrating Social Aspects into Energy System Modelling Through the Lens of Public Perspectives: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-33, November.
    12. 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.
    13. Duan, Fude & Bu, Xiongzhu, 2024. "Stochastic optimization of a hybrid photovoltaic/fuel cell/parking lot system incorporating cloud model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PC).
    14. Erdinc, O. & Uzunoglu, M., 2010. "Recent trends in PEM fuel cell-powered hybrid systems: Investigation of application areas, design architectures and energy management approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2874-2884, December.
    15. Xu, Xiao & Hu, Weihao & Cao, Di & Liu, Wen & Huang, Qi & Hu, Yanting & Chen, Zhe, 2021. "Enhanced design of an offgrid PV-battery-methanation hybrid energy system for power/gas supply," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 440-456.
    16. Younessi, Hiva Seyed & Bahramara, Salah & Adabi, Farid & Golpîra, Hêmin, 2023. "Modeling the optimal sizing problem of the biogas-based electrical generator in a livestock farm considering a gas storage tank and the anaerobic digester process under the uncertainty of cow dung," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    17. Muhammad Bilal Ali & Syed Ali Abbas Kazmi & Abdullah Altamimi & Zafar A. Khan & Mohammed A. Alghassab, 2023. "Decarbonizing Telecommunication Sector: Techno-Economic Assessment and Optimization of PV Integration in Base Transceiver Stations in Telecom Sector Spreading across Various Geographically Regions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-34, April.
    18. Qianwen Li & Zhilong Chen & Jialin Min & Mengjie Xu & Yanhong Zhan & Wenyue Zhang & Chuanwang Sun, 2024. "Hybrid transaction model for optimizing the distributed power trading market," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    19. Miguel Carpintero-Rentería & David Santos-Martín & Josep M. Guerrero, 2019. "Microgrids Literature Review through a Layers Structure," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-22, November.
    20. Mohseni, Soheil & Brent, Alan C. & Burmester, Daniel, 2020. "A comparison of metaheuristics for the optimal capacity planning of an isolated, battery-less, hydrogen-based micro-grid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:9012-:d:1501186. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.