Optimal Designing of Grid-Connected Hybrid Renewable Model Using Harmony Search Algorithm

The hybrid renewable energy system needs to be sufficiently developed in the future such that the shortening of fossil fuels does not affect the economic growth of the world. However, the uncertainty and intermittency of these resources make it necessary to have an energy storage system. In the present scenario, storage systems are expensive and hence it is always advisable to perform optimal sizing of such systems. This will improve the efficiency and utilization of the system. Under the present work, the optimal sizing of a grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system is performed. The model proposed includes biomass, solar, grid, and battery as storage, and evaluation is carried out based on the technical and economical parameters for the rural site of Madhya Pradesh. For this purpose, the discrete harmony search algorithm is applied to minimize the total annualized cost of the system. For the optimal contribution of each resource, two resource scenario is analyzed here and, further results are validated using the particle swarm algorithm (PSO). The optimal model has 33.75 kW solar PV, biomass of 30 kW, battery of 98.4 kW, and the system is connected to the grid. The total annualized cost obtained for the best case is Rs 6.58 million and the cost of energy is Rs 4.85/kWh.