An Optimum Sizing for a Hybrid Storage System in Solar Water Pumping Using ICA

Solar water pumps must be the most optimum size to work efficiently and be at a reasonable price. The storage system can play a main role in both system reliability and the total cost of a solar water pumping project; thus, it should be designed carefully. Traditionally, only batteries or water tanks are used as primary storage system; each of them has its benefits and drawbacks. In this research, a new approach to a storage system is proposed, consisting of both batteries and water tanks at the same time. Such hybrid storage can decrease project cost and increase system reliability. To find the most optimum size for such a hybrid system an optimization algorithm named "Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA)" is used to minimize the Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) of the storage system. In this paper, a hybrid storage configuration for solar water pumping for a site in Iran is proposed, and results of the optimum size for that system using ICA are expressed. It is shown that the configuration is more feasible compared with many other configurations.