Design of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System for Rural Electrification Using Power Electronics

Abstract

The Problem of delivering a consistent and sustainable energy provision to the rural populations, in the developing countries in particular, remains the key problem of global energy development. The usual grid extension is also expensive and logistically complex in these regions making it uneconomical in most cases. To overcome this challenge, a design for a hybrid renewable energy system composed of solar, wind and energy storage systems to produce reliable and efficient energy for rural electrification is presented in this paper. The power electronics part of the system involves state-of-the-art DC-DC converters, inverters, and the maximum power point tracking (inverter active MPPT) controller that is applied to get the best performance of the generation, conversion, and storage of intermittent renewable source of energy. The suggested hybrid architecture can achieve the highest use of renewable resources without the influence of instability in power supply to supply the energy needs of the rural population. Energy storage, for instance in form of batteries, is used to store and feed this excess energy, when generation is low during times of high renewable output, thus improving reliability of the system. Apart from that, implementation of the MPPT controllers is carried out in order to enable to obtain maximum energy from the photovoltaic (solar) and the wind turbine generators, as the nature of renewable energy varies. To determine the feasibility of proposed system a case study is presented where the performance of hybrid system is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results present the ability of the system to provide a stable voltage output, minimize system losses and efficiently control energy flows between the renewable sources, the storage and the load. This integrated system represents a practical, scalable, and environmentally friendly solution to electrification of rural areas, and a possible solution to the grid-based power system, with reduced environmental effect compared to the conventional ways of generation of energy. The results point to the ability of hybrid renewable energy systems to solve energy access problems in off-grid regions and support sustainable development goals in rural communities.