OPTIMAL SIZING OF HYBRID RENEWABLE ENERGY SYTEMS USING A HYDROGEN STORAGE SYSTEM FOR VARIOUS POWER DEMAND APPLICATIONS

摘要

Hybrid systems consisting of a single or multiple renewable energy generators coupled with an environmentally-friendly storage system are used in renewable power production due to wide disparity between the intermittent power generated and the power demand. These systems also have the potential to provide 24/7 power without leaving a carbon footprint in operation. Finding the optimal size of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) with no Loss of Power Supply (LPS) is of utmost concern when considering the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCE) of the system over its lifecycle. In this study, an optimization routine employing a search algorithm is developed to find the system configuration with a minimized LCE that meets also meets zero LPS. To this end, a system model is developed by integrating basic models of the subsystems. The system model is then used to investigate two different loading cases, 1) where the demand cannot be controlled as in the case of the power demand of a residential network, and 2) where the demand can be controlled up to certain limits, as in the case of the power demand of a data center or a data center network. Various types of controllable power demands (CoD) are studied. When compared to the power demand of a residential network, results demonstrate a significant reduction in the life cycle costs for CoD conditions.