Techno-Economic Comparison of Battery–Flywheel With Battery–Hydrogen Storage System in the Vicinity of Off-Grid HRES for Four Climates: MCDM Method

Abstract

Ensuring sustainable power and heating in remote rural areas presents a considerable challenge. Renewable hybrid systems are typically recommended for this purpose; however, maintaining stability necessitates either a connection to the grid requiring electricity purchases from power plants, which are significant sources of pollution, or the deployment of extensive equipment to ensure system stability. This study examines four climatic regions in Iran, evaluating the selection between two storage systems, battery-hydrogen and battery–flywheel, through simulation and two-stage optimization. HOMER PRO software was utilized for both simulation and optimization, while the method based on the removal effects of criteria (MEREC) was employed for criteria weighting in decision-making, in conjunction with the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. The findings indicate that the battery-hydrogen system is significantly more cost-effective, achieving savings of up to $211,327 in net present cost (NPC) and $0.738 in cost of energy (COE). Furthermore, the battery–hydrogen system demonstrates a greater reliance on renewable energy sources, increasing by up to 23.6% compared to the battery–flywheel system.