Designing and Analyzing a Hybrid Photovoltaic-Biomass Microgrid for Rural Communities

Abstract

In most developing countries, such as Indonesia, burning crop residues exacerbates emissions produced by coal-based thermal power plants. Agricultural residues, mainly organic components, can be effectively and sustainably exploited to produce biogas by anaerobic digestion. This paper proposes a microgrid (MG) system for reliable electricity in rural areas and effective utilization of existing renewable resources. A complete techno-economic analysis established MG systems based on solar energy and biomass. Two MG systems resulted in reliable rural electrification, MG-I with solar power (PV), and biomass-based generation units connected to an unreliable power grid. MG-II with biomass-based generation units, unstable grid, biomass, and batteries. The investigation included several performance evaluation criteria: component cost, inflation rate, project feasibility, generation response, emissions, and fuel price. This study shows that the MG-I microgrid system can provide electricity to the community for 0.0735 $/kWh, 1.37 times cheaper than MG-II. In addition, with the efficient use of abundant biomass resources, the proposed MG-I system reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent and can reduce atmospheric pollution.