Page 247 - Hybrid-Renewable Energy Systems in Microgrids

224 Hybrid-Renewable Energy Systems in Microgrids

sizing and for power management between the sources and storage devices of the RES.
This chapter will concentrate on reviewing the current state of the methodologies
available in the literature on local meteorological data generation, feasibility study,
modelling the components of HRES, optimum sizing of the components and con-
trol technologies for the standalone hybrid solar–wind energy systems with battery
storage.

2 Feasibility study

Prior to installation and operation of any HRES, the feasibility study of HRES is
customarily carried out for the targeted location. This analysis includes the study of
the climatic conditions of the proposed site, availability of renewable energy sources
and assessment of its potential load and load demand of the application site [15].
This study assists in finding out the possibilities to develop a HRES for any location.
The climatic conditions are the main factors that determine the availability and
magnitude of solar and wind energy of a particular site. For different locations, the
climatic conditions, such as solar radiation, average wind speed, air temperature, etc.
are always changing. For better utilization of the solar and wind energy resources, an
analysis of the characteristics of solar radiation and wind conditions at a potential site
should be made at the stage of inception [15]. Feasibility of establishing a solar–wind
HRES mainly depends on solar radiation and wind energy potential of the targeted
location. Hence, designing a hybrid renewable energy system one requires appropriate
weather data.
Figs. 12.3 and 12.4 show global map for wind energy and solar energy potential in
all over the world [16].
The assessment of appropriate RES technology for the targeted location should
be conducted with precise data and information related to long-term availability of
all possible RES (e.g., through meteorological, wind, solar radiation, and other RES
measurements). It is also very important that the operation of the RES is assessed
with respect to an appropriate time frame considering the present electrical energy
demand and future development of the HRES to meet change (i.e., increase) of energy
demand [18].

2.1 Time-series meteorological data

One of the most important design criteria for stand-alone hybrid solar–wind energy
systems is the long-term system performance. To ensure that some researchers used
time-series meteorological data for feasibility study and design of the HRES. Differ-
ent meteorological data, such as weather data containing hourly solar radiation, wind
speed, and ambient temperature are required in the performance simulation of these
systems. The global weather data could be easily obtained from different sources like
the local meteorological station. The performance of an HRES can be evaluated with
the help of these global weather patterns for the targeted location.