article · Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Rising energy demands and environmental concerns have expanded interest in distributed generation systems combining renewable sources with fuel cells. A techno-economic feasibility study was conducted using HOMER software to assess a completely emission-free hybrid energy system for Nifasso, an Ethiopian rural village with roughly 1,059 residents. The proposed system relies on solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbines as the primary power generators, supported by rechargeable batteries and a fuel cell for energy storage and backup. In operation, rechargeable batteries supply initial backup power during generation shortages. Once the batteries reach their minimum allowable capacity, the fuel cell engages to generate electricity from stored hydrogen. The analysis identified multiple feasible system configurations yielding a narrow range of energy costs, offering superior outcomes compared to previously examined hybrid systems reliant on solar, wind, and diesel generators.
Rural communities frequently lack access to reliable electricity grids and often depend on polluting diesel generators for backup power. Demonstrating the technical and economic viability of replacing diesel equipment with fuel cells and battery storage shows how remote settlements can meet everyday power needs entirely through clean, renewable distributed energy networks.
This work provides an early-stage simulation model for off-grid rural electrification, useful for microgrid developers, energy planners, and rural development agencies designing clean mini-grids. Because the study relies on computer-based feasibility simulations using HOMER rather than a physical deployment or prototype testing, the system remains at a conceptual, pre-implementation stage requiring field demonstration before commercial deployment.
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As the energy consumption is increasing in an alarming rate and peoples and international communities are well aware of environmental protection, alternative (i.e., renewable and fuel cell based) distributed generation (DG) systems have attracted increased interest. Wind-based and photovoltaic- (PV-) based power generation are two of the most promising renewable energy technologies. Fuel cell (FC) systems also show great potential in DG applications due to their fast technological development and the merits they have, such as high efficiency, zero or low emissions (of pollutant gases), and flexible modular structure. In this work, the techno-economic feasibility study (using HOMER) of emission-free hybrid power system of solar, wind, and fuel cell power source unit for a given rural village in Ethiopia called Nifasso (latitude of 9°58′40″N and longitude of 39°50′3″E with an estimated population of 1059) that can meet the electricity demand in a sustainable manner has been studied. The main power for the hybrid system comes from the solar and wind energy while the fuel cell and rechargeable batteries are used as a secondary and primary energy back up units, respectively. We can say storage as primary and secondary based on the sequence of operation. Hence, when there is shortage, first the battery discharges to fulfill the load demand and if the battery reaches to its allowable minimum capacity, it will stop further discharging and the fuel cell will operate so as to convert the stored hydrogen into electricity. In the result, different feasible alternative solutions have been obtained with a narrow range of COE which are better than the previously studied PV-wind-Genset hybrid set ups.
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DOI: 10.1155/2018/4015354
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