Economic and environmental analysis of a grid-connected hybrid power system for a University Campus

Bulletin of the National Research Centre

Research

Kayode Timothy Akindeji¹  Daniel Raphael Ejike Ewim² 

[1] Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 4000, Durban, South Africa;Department of Mechanical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 4000, Durban, South Africa;

关键词: Hybrid microgrid;    University campus;    Renewable energy sources;    Greenhouse gas emissions;    Cost of energy;    CO reduction;    Optimization;    HOMER software;    Load shedding;    Sustainability;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s42269-023-01053-6

 received in 2023-04-11, accepted in 2023-05-27,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe generation of clean and affordable energy by 2030 is a challenging task, necessitating the integration of renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal, crude oil, and natural gas. This study examines the optimization and performance analysis of a hybrid microgrid for a university campus as a potential solution to achieve this goal. The primary objective is to decrease the cost of energy and reduce CO2 emissions on the campus using a hybrid approach.ResultsThe Howard college campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) was used as a case study, with meteorological data obtained from NASA and real hourly electrical load data for 2019 from the university smart meters. HOMER, an optimization software, was employed to model and simulate the case study. The results demonstrated significant savings of R15.7 million (approximately $ 820 000) in annual utility bills, a 51% reduction in CO2 emissions, a return on investment of 20%, and a payback period of 4 years.ConclusionThe study's findings suggest that universities can become self-sustaining during load shedding periods, as recently experienced in South Africa. The implementation of a hybrid microgrid system on a university campus offers considerable economic and environmental benefits, providing a potential blueprint for other large institutions seeking to achieve similar sustainability goals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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