Techno-economic Analysis of Deployment of Renewable Energy in Hotel Zone at the West Coast of Myanmar with Limited Grid Access

Abstract

Access to the energy grid is a big concern for isolated households and companies, and emergency diesel generators can cause long-term climate and environmental problems. This study investigated the techno-economic feasibility of deploying clean energy sources to support the operation of a hotel zone on Myanmar’s west coast with limited connectivity to the primary utility grid (5 hours per day). When utility power is unavailable, hotel owners must rely on diesel generators to provide electricity for visitors. An independent microgrid comprising photovoltaic generators and battery storage is constructed and analysed. The microgrid system to completely supply 100% of the load is not an economically realistic solution due to higher capital expenditures and a more extended carbon payback period of about 20 years due to higher embodied energy. A hybrid diesel generator and PV array covering the partial load demand of 20% was an effective option with lower energy and CO2 payback periods of 8.1 and 4.6 years, respectively.