A Unified Platform for Simplifying the Design for Small-Scale Solar and Wind Energy Installations in Lebanon

Abstract

Lebanon is one of the countries in the Middle East that are endowed with climatic conditions which are predominantly sunny and characterized by hot summers and mild winters. The principal electric power producer in Lebanon (Electricité du Liban, EDL) is suffering from heavy financial losses spinning out of control from year to year. In addition, the different technical problems are affecting the electricity generation, its quality and the reliability of the power grid. This shortage in the generation of electricity was increased by the absence of any investments in new power plants since 1996 and the increased demand on power which was approximated by the World Bank as being a yearly increase of 8%. The customer in Lebanon has to subscribe with small power producers (private generators) which are currently illegal in order to complement the energy provided by EDL. To help solve this problem, the usage of renewable energy is suggested in this paper as an alternative to the non-environmental non-economic private generators at the short term and to complement the shortages of power provided by EDL. More importantly, the long-term motivation is the implementation of an environmentally-conscious energy approach that aspires to zero-carbon footprints in our country. The main purpose of this work is to develop a unified platform for the national geographical availability of renewable energy and to provide end users with all needed technical data and installation guidelines for the deployment of solar technologies in their homes, buildings, or residential areas. Practical sizing and most efficient installation of the renewable energy source or combination of sources that are most convenient to the end user are made available depending on the geographical location in Lebanon, the grid connectivity and the space availability. The end user will be fully aware of the different technical, economic, environmental and cultural advantages of renewable energy sources.