Pre-feasibility study of stand-alone hybrid energy systems for applications in Newfoundland

A potential solution for stand-alone power generation is to use a hybrid energy system in parallel with some hydrogen energy storage. In this paper, a pre-feasibility study of using hybrid energy systems with hydrogen as an energy carrier for applications in Newfoundland, Canada is explained. Various renewable and non-renewable energy sources, energy storage methods and their applicability in terms of cost and performance are discussed. HOMER is used as a sizing and optimization tool. Sensitivity analysis with wind speed data, solar radiation level, diesel price and fuel cell cost was done. A remote house having an energy consumption of 25 kW h/d with a 4.73 kW peak power demand was considered as the stand-alone load. It was found that, a wind–diesel–battery hybrid system is the most suitable solution at present. However, with a reduction of fuel cell cost to 15% of its current value, a wind–fuel cell system would become a superior choice. Validity of such projection and economics against conventional power sources were identified. Sizing, performance and various cost indices were also analyzed in this paper. q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.