Performance evaluation of a hybrid solar PV system with reduced emission designed for residential load in subtropical region

In this paper, a hybrid PV/diesel/battery-based energy system is designed for supplying power to the residential area being fed with diesel generators during outrage hours. The proposed system is utilized generated power from the standalone PV system along with diesel generator to replace the requirement of diesel by solar energy partially. The optimal hybrid system is obtained by using hourly measured solar radiation data and per liter cost of diesel for the selected location along with other required components. Performance analysis is done using Hybrid Optimization Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER). A comparative study based on percentage renewable penetration, total net present cost (TNPC), cost of energy (COE) and emitted pollutants has been carried out. It is found that the system constitutes of three generators of 50 kW, 50 kW and 10 kW along with a PV array of 64 kW and battery of 53 kW is the optimal solution for the selected site. Sensitivity analysis shows that the proposed system, for a diesel price of 1 $/liter and with solar penetration of 34 %, is more economical and environmental friendly with the COE and TNPC of 0.392 $/kWh and $ 1,042,824 respectively. The presented model can be used in designing optimal energy systems for a similar environment.