Planning of a sustainable microgrid system using HOMER software

Electricity has been an imminent issue in remote areas. A microgrid system is an essential part of renewable energy sources of which is an integrated solution to global energy insufficiency and attractively caught the attention of energy industry players. Microgrids have immersed increased energy penetration where they have a promising potential of islanding and igniting energy efficiency globally. The objective of this paper is to develop an in-situ conforming microgrid, to explore effect of certain problems (such as power price, grid failure frequency, and grid mean repair time) and its effect to cost (total operating cost, total capital cost, net present cost), electricity production, and unmet load. We used HOMER to develop an optimized PV/Grid/Battery configuration while considering load patterns, temperature, solar irradiance, and other costs. Our study also showed that the upsurge of grid failure frequency and it mean repair time can cause an increase in total operating cost, which also increases even with the increase in power price. Results showed that initial capital cost, operating cost, COE, NPC were considerably economical at R 5,720,272.00, R 588,303.89.00, R 1.48, and R 1,330,000.00 respectively.