Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of Hybrid Power Systems for Rural Areas: A Case Study of Bingöl

Abstract

Today, many factors, especially the increasing world population and developing technology, increase the energy needs of people and societies day by day. The fact that fossil resources are both in danger of depletion and have negative environmental impacts has directed countries to new resources. The study focuses on the effective use of renewable energy sources (RES) and the evaluation of waste to meet the electricity and heat energy needs of Yiğit Harman Village, located in the Solhan district of Bingöl Province. For this purpose, a renewable-energy-based combined heat and power system (CHP) was designed using HOMER Pro software (version 3.14.2, Homer Energy LLC, Boulder, CO, USA). Solar, wind, biomass, and hydrogen energy sources were used, considering the resources of the region. Using the designed model, the entire electricity energy requirement and half of the heat energy were completely met by the region’s available RESs. In addition to the technical analysis, economic and environmental analyses were also conducted, and LCOE, NPC, and CO2 emission values were obtained as 0.271 USD/kWh, USD 739,772, and 37,958 kg/yr, respectively. These results indicate that with an investment of approximately USD 7000 per household, the electrical and thermal energy needs for 25 years can be met.