Abstract
Aim: The objective of this study is to facilitate decision makers’ selection of groups of components for isolated microgrid which should not only be economically attractive and efficient but also acceptable from various aspects. The microgrid is designed to serve a rural remote region of Tanzania with an approximate energy demand of 1000 kWh/day. Methods: A comprehensive comparison has been presented using (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable) HOMER Pro software and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-based multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) (fuzzy-AHP-MCDM) technique for planning of isolated microgrid systems which is formed by using a group of sources, like photo-voltaic (PV) generator, wind-turbine, micro-hydro, bio-gas based generation and battery storage system. In this study, ten various alternatives comprising a blend of the aforementioned sources have been considered. A group of households having an approximate load demand of 1000 kWh/day located near Arusha in Tanzania has been selected for this study. Results: A levelized cost of energy of 0.0694 $/kWh has been found for the optimized case using HOMER Pro comprising all five aforesaid components. Conclusion: The fuzzy-AHP-MCDM technique also exhibits highest priority for a similar combination when only the economic criteria are considered and all other criteria are being suppressed significantly. On the other side, a different group consisting only PV and wind-based generation is found prioritized when all criteria are taken into account with different weights, either based on experts’ score or equal importance. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis has also been conducted to observe the impact of alternative selections.
Info
Journal Article, 2021
UN SDG Classification
DK Main Research Area
Science/Technology
