Techno-Economic, Environmental, and Social Multi-Objective Optimization of a Grid-Connected Hybrid Renewable Energy System Using Metaheuristic Algorithms

Abstract

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy demands energy systems that are not only technically and economically sound but also environmentally and socially sustainable. This study proposed a novel multi-objective optimisation (MOO) framework for the design of a grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system (GC-HRES) that explicitly integrated Job Creation (JC) as a fourth objective along with traditional technical, economic, and environmental objectives, such as Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP), Cost of Energy (COE), and Renewable Energy Fraction (REF). Prior studies often treated JC as a post-optimisation metric, while this study incorporated JC into the MOO using employment technology-specific factors. Metaheuristic algorithms, Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimisation (MOPSO) and Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), were applied to find the optimal number of solar panels, wind turbines, and battery banks under scenarios which excluded and included JC. The results demonstrated that including JC reshaped the Pareto front, revealed new objective compromises and led to diverse configurations. MOPSO favoured solutions with higher JC and REF at the expense of cost and reliability, while NSGA-II achieved more balanced, cost-effective and reliable solutions with competitive JC values. Additional constraint sensitivity analysis further demonstrated the influence of battery bank constraints on solution feasibility. The results highlighted that integrating JC into the optimisation framework enriched design possibilities and fostered a more inclusive transition to renewable energy with a focus on GC-HRESs. This paper provided a flexible and replicable MOO framework that sets the foundation for socially attuned GC-HRES designs that align with broader sustainability goals.