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Feasibility study of a hybrid PV-micro hydro system for rural electrification

Conference Paper · October 2009

DOI: 10.1109/AFRCON.2009.5308185 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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 IEEE AFRICON 2009 23 - 25 September 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

Feasibility study of a hybrid PV-Micro Hydro

system for rural electrification

K. Kusakana* , J.L. Munda, member IEEE and A.A. Jimoh, member IEEE
Department of Electrical Engineering
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria, South Africa
kuskybe@yahoo.fr mundajl@tut.ac.za jimohaa@tut.ac.za

Abstract: The present study investigates the possibility of using a
stand-alone solar/micro hydro hybrid power system for low-cost
electricity production which can satisfy the energy load
requirements of a typical remote and isolated rural area. In this
context, the optimal dimensions to improve the technical and
economical performances of the hybrid system are determined
according to the load energy requirements, the solar and water
resources and the importance of supply continuity.
The proposed system's installation and operating costs are
simulated using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric
Renewable (HOMER) with the stream flow, the solar radiation
and the system components costs as inputs; and then compared
with those of other supply options such as grid extension and
diesel generation.
Key words: Micro hydropower, Photovoltaic system, Cost-
effectiveness, Environmental Impacts, Rural power supply.
I. INTRODUCTION
one of the most interesting and environmental friendly
technological solutions.
South Africa is endowed with a very good level of solar
irradiation and adequate hydro potential in a number of
locations. This situation means that a considerable amount of
the country's rural energy requirements may come from
hybrid combination of renewable energy systems especially in
areas where the resources are available and exploitable [2].
The present study investigates the possibility of using a
stand-alone solar/micro hydro hybrid power system for low-
cost electricity production which can satisfy the energy load
requirements of a remote and isolated area in South Africa. In
this context, the dimensions of the hybrid system are
determined according to the availability of the renewable
energy resources and the load energy requirements. Thereafter
economic performance of the system is compared with that of
other supply options such as grid extension or diesel
generation.

The lack of an electrical network in remote areas and the
prohibitively high connection cost of grid extension and rough
topography often lead to exploration of other options. Stand-
alone hybrid systems have turned into one of the most
promising ways to satisfy the electrification requirements of
these areas.
Today the South African electricity supply utility Eskom
generates 96% of the country's electricity (about 35,060
Megawatts) [1]; which is not enough to meet the total power
requirements. The increased rate of electric energy
consumption and numerous existing isolated consumers
constitute one of the largest problems being encountered by
the electric company in South Africa. In order to cope with the
increasing electric consumption tendencies, it is smart to
explore every possible way for generating more energy. The
option of diesel power generation has been considered for a
long time as the best solution for the electrification of remote
and isolated areas.
These days, due to international policy and concerns on
environmental issues (Kyoto Protocol, reduction of CO2
emissions), generation of electricity by means of renewable
energy sources has increased in importance and has become
II. DEMAND ANALYSIS
For the analysis a rural site in Kwa-Zulu Natal is selected
where there is a sawmill and a number of households in the
neighborhood. The load is composed of the household
appliances and the machines used in the sawmill. For the
domestic load estimation we have assumed that an average
household uses electricity for lighting and entertainment (T.V
and radio), to which an iron and a kettle may be included. The
considered sawmill equipments are the power saw, the chain
saw, the sander and the planning machine. Security lights are
also taken into account. The shortest distance from the grid to
the load centre is about 18 Km, the total load is IS kW peak
and 146kWh per day.
Fig. 1 is a combination of two load profiles. The first one
corresponds to the household's daily load curve which
presents a peak in the morning; another one during lunch time
but the most important one occurs in the evening. The second
one corresponds to the factory load profile which has almost a
constant power demand from 7 am to 5 pm due to the daily
working hours; and from 6 pm to 6 am, period where the
security lights are switched on.

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 IEEE AFRICON 2009 23 - 25 September 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

Load Profile IV. PYIMICRO HYDRO HYBRID SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND

16,--------,-----,.-------,--------,
SIZING
141-- - - -+- - - - 1-- - -
f 121-- - - +-- - - +-- - -
Taking advantage of the very good solar and hydro potential
:::.10l -- - - - i::::"'- - - - !--- - - =
of the site, a stand-alone hybrid PYlmicro hydro system is
~ 81-- - - -
ro proposed in order to meet the electricity demand of
E 61-- - - -
ID consumers. The proposed hybrid PYlmicro hydropower
041-- - - system consists of a PV generator, a hydro generator, a battery
storage system, and an inverter capable of meeting the peak
load demand.
6 12 18 24
Hour
In the considered hybrid configuration the PV and the battery
FIGURE I: LOAD PROFILE (HOUSEHOLDS AND FACTORY) bank are connected to the AC bus (via the DC bus and the
DC/AC converter). Both components PV and hydropower are
connected together to the meet the AC load requirements.
III. RENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL
Sizing of the stand-alone PYlmicro hydro hybrid system is
an important part of its design. Since the capital equipment
South Africa experiences some of the highest levels of solar cost is the major component of the price of the electricity,
radiation in the world, the average daily solar radiation varies oversizing the plant has very detrimental effect on the price of
2 2 the generated power. Undersizing the system, on the other
between 4.5 and 6.5 kWh/m (16 and 23 MJlm ); and the
popular perception that the potential for hydropower in the hand reduces the supply reliability. The sizing of the system
country is very low, is often overstated [3]. The annual requires knowledge of the load profile, the solar and water
averages of irradiance are available from the Institute for Soil, resources and the importance of supply continuity.
Climate & Water (ISCW), AGRMET section; and the hydro
data from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry A. Micro hydropower system sizing
(DWF).
For the specific site selected, the two important data
For the selected site the annual average daily radiation, assessed are the gross head (5 m), and the flow of the water
clearness index and stream flow are given in table 1. 3
(187 lis or 0.187m Is). The potential electrical power available
TABLE I. AVERAGE MONTHLY CLEARNESS INDEX AND DAILY RADIAnON from the water resource is 7.4375kW given by the following
equations:
Month Clearness Daily radiation Steam flow
index (kWh/m
2/d) (Lis) Electrical power = Hydraulic power * Turbine efficiency *
January 0.627 7.404 283.6 Generator efficiency (1)
February 0.646 7.178 387.1 With the hydraulic power (theoretical power output) at
March 0.639 6.274 325.3 disposition of the turbine given by:
April 0.638 5.200 226.5
May 0.698 4.663 142.6 Hydraulic power = Water specific density * Discharge *
June 0.758 4.522 116.8 Gravity * Head (2)
July 0.743 4.663 98.3 According to the hydrology and topology of the area a
August 0.641 4.804 82.5 Kaplan turbine (small in size and faster) can be selected [4].
September 0.690 6.302 75.0 We will assume that the efficiency of the turbine depends on
October 0.607 6.443 90.3 the manufacturer, and is about 0.9.
November 0.561 6.500 151.1
December 0.553 6.613 281.4 For variable speed generation, the choice of an induction
Averaze 0.638 5.873 187.2 generator is considered attractive due to its flexible rotor speed
characteristic in contrast to the constant speed characteristic of
a synchronous generator [5]. The generator efficiency is
It is obvious that there are enough solar and hydro resources usually more than 0.9.
from the site to sustain the implementation of hybrid PYlmicro
hydropower system.
The main characteristics of the considered generator are given
in the table below:

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 IEEE AFRICON 2009 23 - 25 September 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

TABLE II: GENERATOR CHARACTERISTICS TABLE III: SIZING OF PV AND BATTERY BANK

Type Induction generator PV Battery

Nominal power 7.5kW System Nominal 200V Total daily Ah 162
Efficiency 0.9 Voltage requirement
AreaPV 2 Storage Days 3
Frequency 50Hz 200m
Power factor 0.8 Module Voltage 18V Max depth of 60%
Synchronous speed 1500 rpm Discharge
Rotor speed 1560 rpm Nos. Of module in 11 Required Battery 900Ah
Rotor inertia 0.02 series Capacity
Nos. Of module in 36 Nominal system 200V
Parallel Voltage
B. Photovoltaic sstem sizing
Operating Current 4 Nominal cell Voltage 2
The photovoltaic system is designed to meet the whole per Module
electrical load for the worst case (June), which is assumed Nos. Of cell in series 100
as 146 kWh/day and the subsequent solar radiation
(4.5kWh/m2/day) has been taken into account. For the
sizing of the photovoltaic panel and battery bank, the V. SIMULATION DATA
following formulas and assumptions have been taken into
account and the results are shown in Table III [6]. In order for HOMER to estimate the costs of installing and
operating the hybrid system under consideration over the
1) Photovoltaic panel sizing lifetime of the project and make the comparison with other
supply options, load, components and resources details must
DC Energy (battery) = AC Energy / Inverter Efficiency (3) be provided [7]. The calculations take into account costs such
Area PV = DC Total Energy [kWh/day] / Radiation as capital, replacement, operation and maintenance, fuel, and
[kWh/m2/day] / System Efficiency (4) interest.

N° modules = Area PV/ Area PV module (5)

N° module in series = Nominal system voltage / module
ro~
N° module in parallel = Total n? modules / N° modules in
series (7)
Current in array = N° module in parallel x module current (8)
2) Battery Sizing
Storage days = 9.43-1.9(peak sun hours) +0.11(peak sun
~~
Total Ah per day = [Total Energy DC / System Nominal
Voltage]x System Loss (10)
Battery Capacity [Ah] = Total daily Ah per day x storage days
/ max depth ofdischarge (11)
N° ofCell in series = Nominal System Voltage / Nominal Cell
~~~ O~
For the PV sizing calculations, the inverter efficiency and
overall PV system efficiency have been taken as 90% and
18% respectively. It is also assumed that the area of a PV
module is 0.5 m'', For battery sizing 20% system loss has been
taken into account for safety reasons.
A. Micro hydropower
~ The specific cost of micro hydroelectric power stations
varies from 400 up to 800 USD per kW of established
capacity, the transport and the civil works add another 600-
1200 USD per kW. Expenses in general are determined by the
conditions of the area, by the technology used, the specificity
of transportation, etc. For this study the capital, replacement,
operation and maintenance costs of the hydro system are
estimated at 8520, 4260 and 852USD/year [8].
~ B. Photovoltaic system
The PV, inverter and battery prices are respectively 5500,
1000 and 300 USDlkW. The operation and maintenance cost
of the PV array, of the inverter as well as that of the battery
are evaluated at 0.05% of their capital costs at approximately
275, 50 and 15USD/yr [9].
C. Diesel generator
The costs of generators rated 5, 25, 50, 75 and 100kW are
800, 590, 330, 275 and 240 USDlkW respectively [10]. Using
these generator sizes and prices the cost of a 15 kW diesel
generator is estimated using linear interpolation at 615
USD/kW. The operating and maintenance costs are high
because of the consumption of fuel (O.44litreslkWh) and
lubricant. In South Africa the price of the diesel fuel is
1.33USD/I, the lubrication price is 1.34USD/liter and the
carbon emission penalty is internationally fixed to 2.25 USD/t.

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 IEEE AFRICON 2009 23 - 25 September 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

D. Grid extension kW
24 11.70
The cost in developing countries of single-wire grid 9.72
extension was evaluated at 9000 USDIkm [9]. The annual » 18 7.74
operation and maintenance costs amount to 180 USD/yrlkm ro
c 5.76
while the grid power price is set to the local grid price of '01 2 3.78
0.144 USDlkWh. 5o
1.80
I 6

VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS o Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Del NOli Dec

The optimum system configuration and component sizes FIGURE4: HYDRO OUTPUT
that meet load requirements at the lowest cost are found by
using HOMER sizing tool. The inputs treated by the software '/;
describe the solar and hydro resource availability; the load 24 100 .0
power and energy demand and the hybrid system component 97.0
(PV array, hydro, battery and converter) costs as illustrated in » 18 94.0
ro
the previous sections. The system's simulations are performed c 91 .0
'01 2
for each of the 8,760 hours in a year and the main economic 88.0
5o
output of the system configuration is based on its net present 85.0
I 6
cost, displayed under the heading "Total NPC" in Fig 2.
o Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Del NOli Dec

FIGURE5: BATTERY BANK STATE OF CHARGE

12 7.+\ 4 12 1132826 0197 10) 00-1

FIGURE2: HYBRJD SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION RESULT The solar resource is available only during day time. The
solar component has two functions: to supply the load and to
provide power that will charge the battery. The power from
From the figure above, the combination of 12kW
PVI7.44kW Hydro has the following costs: the battery bank is mostly used via the converter during night,
peak power demands and during the months where there is a
lake of power from the hydro component. Thus:
• Initial Capital Cost: 87,720 USD
• Net Present Cost: 132,826 USD • From December to April, The contribution of the PV is low
• Cost of Energy: 0.197 USDlkWh. and used to meet the peak demands during the day from 6am
to 7am, from 12am to Ipm and from 5pm to 9pm together
Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show the average monthly electric with the battery storage system. There is a small amount of
power production and contribution from each component of power from batteries that is being used because there is
the hybrid system. enough hydro resource. The state of charge of the batteries is
usually a maximum.
The power from the micro-hydro component is available all
through the year but its amount is varying according the • From May to November because of the lack of hydro
availability of the water resource (monthly average flow). resource, the power from PV stored in batteries during the day
kW is used in addition to the available power from the hydro
24 27.0 component to meet the load energy demand during night and
21.6 peak times.
» 18 16.2
ro I
Fig. 6 shows the costs comparison of the PVlmicro hydro
o 10.8
'01 2 hybrid system with the grid extension in terms of breakeven
5.4
5o grid extension distance given at 3.07 km (intersection between
0.0
I 6 the grid extension cost in blue and the stand-alone cost in red).
For the selected site, the shortest distance from the grid to the
o Jan load centre is about 18 km consequently the hybrid system is
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Del NOli De c
more economical than a grid extension.
FIGURE 3: PV OUTPUT

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 IEEE AFRICON 2009 23 - 25 September 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

------- ---
150 ,000 VII. CONCLUSION
~1 40 , OO O
~
1ii 120 ,000 A particular goal of this study was to show that at a site
o
u where solar and hydro resources are available, a hybrid
C 100 ,000
~I
PVlmicro hydro system can satisfactorily meet the energy
til
~ 80 ,000 needs of remote areas even at peak load in mornings and
CL
-a; 50 ,000
evenings.
z
ro 40,000 For the selected site the proposed hybrid supply option,
"0 composed of 12kW PV and 7,44kW micro-hydro has a COE
I-
20 ,000
of 0.197 USDlkWh corresponding to a breakeven grid
o extension distance given at 3.07 km; which is less than the
o 1 2 3 4
Gri d Extensi on Oist ance rk m 1 estimated distance between the load centre and the grid. The
equivalent diesel generator is 15kW output and has an annual
FIGURE 6: ELECTRIFICATION COST
consumption of 23,833L corresponding to 31,777 USD ; a
COE of 7.391 USDlkWh which is higher than the one for the
The simulations results also give the economical and hybrid system. For this specific site, compared to the grid
environmental characteristics of a diesel generator that can extension or diesel generation, the hybrid system is the best
meet the same load requirements other than the hybrid system . option to provide cost-effective and clean electricity.
The results of this study can be used as instruments for
deployment of stand-alone hybrid PV/micro hydro hybrid
systems to supply cost effective electricity to customers while
protecting the environment in remote rural areas where hydro
and solar resources are available.
FIGURE 7: DIESEL GENERATOR SIMULATION RESULTS

From Fig. 7 a diesel generator with 15kW output can be REFERENCES

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