Design and Simulation of Microgrid for Residential Complex: A Case Study in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa is facing a challenging energy situation due to persistent load shedding, which poses a risk to the country's economic growth. The residential sector of the economy currently leverages the solar resource availability in the country for power generation. Variability and intermittency of solar resources have, however, necessitated the adoption of a hybrid PV backup system to sustain electricity production across the provinces. However, hybrid electrification systems with various PV technologies require performance assessment and techno-economic analysis to achieve the most precise location-specific system optimisation. Based on the aforementioned, this study designs and simulates three major PV module technologies (Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and Amorphous silicon) to choose the most suitable for the location under consideration. The performance was compared with other studies conducted in other locations. The performance criteria, such as reference yield, array yield, performance ratio, and system yield, were determined to select the optimal technology. The result proposed m-Si with average yearly reference yield, array yield and performance ratio of 6.52 h/day, 4.9h/day, and 69%, respectively, as best for the case study area. Further, the techno-economics and environmental impact of the hybrid PV microgrid solution was evaluated using Homer Pro. In all cases, 99.9 % of the energy requirements were met through Solar PV systems. The net present cost (NPC) and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) were R2,828,280 and 0.753, respectively, for the PV-GE-BA configuration, though this was associated with pollutant emission. The outcome of this study will serve as a framework for homeowners and residential complexes in optimising hybrid PV microgrids for optimal power generation at the least cost and negligible environmental impact.