A Comparative Feasibility Study of Stand-Alone and Grid-Connected PV System for Residential Load: A Case Study in Iran

Abstract

With rising the environmental issues regarding the fossil fuels, the renewable energy resources (RES) could be as interesting scheme in supply side for micro grids. The aim of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of photovoltaic (PV) system in Iran both in grid-connected and island mode. The case study is a residential house in the city of Amol. The software of HOMER (Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources) is used for analyzing the data for finding the optimal design among the various solutions which takes in to account electrical and economic assessment factors. In the section of grid-connection mode, two different simulation methods namely HOMER optimizer mode and optimal sizing design mode is used to better understand the grid participation with PV in supplying the power for load demand. Finally, the optimal and affordable design for selected region is grid-connected PV system which alleviate the energy need from grid.