Determination of Optimal Hybrid Distributed Generation System Using Two Optimization Schemes

The main objective is to design and comprehensively evaluate an off-grid hybrid renewable energy system capable of meeting these diverse electrical demands while minimizing lifecycle cost and carbon emissions. The work focuses on the techno-economic feasibility of a hybrid microgrid, with particular attention to integrating a small-scale wind turbine.

A dual-software approach is adopted: HOMER-Pro is used for techno-economic optimization, while MATLAB supports detailed component-level analysis and control validation. Hourly load profiles are developed for residential units, two industrial workshops, and a university campus using local consumption data. Ten years of solar irradiance and wind speed data are processed to characterize available resources. These inputs, together with component costs and economic assumptions, are used in HOMER-Pro to determine optimal system sizing that minimizes LCOE and maximizes NPV. Sensitivity analyses examine the impact of wind turbine hub height, battery cost, and interest rate. MATLAB simulations validate MPPT performance and battery state-of-charge management under normal and extreme conditions.

Results show that each load category benefits from a tailored hybrid configuration: residential loads favour solar-dominant systems with moderate wind and storage, industrial loads benefit from higher wind penetration, and educational loads require a balanced solar–wind mix to match daytime demand. Economically, system feasibility is most sensitive to storage costs and financing conditions, while environmentally, all configurations achieve significant carbon reductions. Technically, dynamic simulations confirm stable voltage regulation and reliable storage management, ensuring uninterrupted supply to critical loads without backup generation.