Selection of the Most Appropriate Off-Grid Hybrid System for Rural and Coastal Areas in Bangladesh Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

The objective of this study is to select the most appropriate hybrid system for reliable and affordable electricity generation for sustainable development. To reach this goal Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model was applied. The methodology was developed and applied considering experts and stakeholder’s judgment based on six criteria such as resource availability, Net Present Cost (NPC), Cost of Electricity (COE), Technical, Environmental and social to determine and prioritize the best alternative among PV-Battery-Wind-Diesel, PV-Battery-Diesel, Wind-Battery-Diesel and PV-Wind-Battery. After the experts and stakeholder’s pair-wise comparison and considering relative weights the most prioritized hybrid system measured is PV-Battery-Wind-Diesel by receiving 31.49% priority. Later an environmental analysis showed that emission from the selected system is around 52% less, compared if, the electricity drawn from the national grid. The second most prioritized system is PV-Wind-battery. Although it is totally environment friendly but due to the magnitude of the alternative resources it cannot reach the goal. In addition, ranking and prioritizing outcomes of these hybrid systems can be implemented in renewable energy policy as a long-term rural electrification plan.