Optimization of an off-grid PV/biogas hybrid energy system for electrification: A case study in a rural area in Egypt

Authors

Ibrahim A. ElzahyFollow
Ahmed Refaat, Department of Electrical engineeringFollow
Samir Dawoud, Tanta University, Faculty of Engineering, Electrical Power and Machines Engineering Dept.Follow

Abstract

The increasing demand for energy in remote or rural areas, coupled with the environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness of renewable energy sources, has led to a growing interest in off-grid energy systems. This paper proposes an optimized off-grid energy system to supply energy demand for a village and a desalination reverse osmosis water plant (RO) in Shalateen, Egypt, using a combination of photovoltaic (PV) and biomass technologies. To achieve minimizing Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) and Total Net Present Cost (TNPC), two decision variables are optimized using the Harmony Search algorithm implemented in MATLAB. The reliability of a designed system is met by considering the LPSP concept. The proposed system utilizes PV system as the primary energy source to power the electrical loads, with a biomass plant serving as a backup to increase system reliability and cost-effectiveness. The Demand Side Management (DSM) strategy is applied to further enhance the system's cost-effectiveness. Five scenarios are studied to investigate their impact on the optimal design, the obtained results indicate that using PV/biomass generation system with DSM and LPSP is more promising.

Recommended Citation

A. Elzahy, Ibrahim; Refaat, Ahmed; and Dawoud, Samir (2024) "Optimization of an off-grid PV/biogas hybrid energy system for electrification: A case study in a rural area in Egypt," Journal of Engineering Research: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/erjeng/vol8/iss1/10