Comprehensive Techno-Economic and Environmental Comparison with Sensitivity Analysis of Optimized Hybrid Energy Systems for Residential Prosumers

With increasing residential electricity demand, hybrid energy systems capable of simultaneously improving affordability, reliability, and environmental performance have become increasingly important. This paper develops an integrated techno-economic and environmental assessment framework for grid-connected residential energy systems under unreliable grid conditions and applies it to a real-world residential case study in Fayoum, Egypt. In the proposed framework, the utility grid is treated as the primary electricity source, while PV, diesel generation, and battery storage are evaluated as backup/support options. Six grid-connected hybrid configurations, namely Grid/Diesel, Grid/PV/Diesel, Grid/PV/Diesel/Battery, Grid/Diesel/Battery, Grid/PV/Battery, and Grid/Battery, were evaluated under identical load, solar resource, and economic conditions to identify the minimum net present cost (NPC)configuration capable of satisfying a specified service level, expressed in terms of the maximum allowable unmet load ratio. The optimization problem was formulated as a single-objective model that minimizes NPC, subject to technical constraints and a service level constraint represented by a zero unmet load requirement in this study. Additional indicators, including levelized cost of energy (LCOE), renewable fraction, CO 2 emissions, and electricity purchased from the grid, were used for comparative performance evaluation. The candidate systems were simulated and optimized under frequent grid outage conditions using HOMER Pro. The results identify the Grid/PV/Battery configuration as the preferred base case backup/support configuration among the evaluated alternatives, achieving the lowest NPC of USD 8949, the lowest LCOE of USD 0.135/kWh, the highest renewable fraction of 55.1%, and the lowest annual CO 2 emissions of 2333 kg/yr, while satisfying the zero unmet load requirement. Compared with the base Grid/Diesel system, the optimal configuration reduces annual operating cost from USD 1204/yr to USD 648.19/yr and lowers emissions by approximately 50%, despite requiring a higher initial capital investment. Sensitivity analysis shows that the preferred solution remains robust across most of the examined financing parameter space. The PV derating factor analysis further indicates that the Grid/PV/Battery configuration remains optimal at higher PV derating levels of 70–80%, whereas the preferred solution shifts toward Grid/Diesel at lower derating levels of 50–60%. Overall, the results demonstrate that combining service-level-constrained NPC minimization with comparative techno-economic and environmental evaluation provides a robust basis for identifying suitable backup-supported grid-connected residential energy solutions under unreliable grid conditions.