Sizing of microgrids for Indian systems using HOMER

The energy needs of mankind are rising at an exponential level and it necessitates tapping of unconventional sources of energy more efficiently. In a country like India where around 300 million people lack electricity, the concept of micro grid plays a significant role. Hybrid systems with wind and solar energy are ideal for village electrification. The major challenge in designing hybrid system is the optimization of the various sources involved in hybrid systems. This paper gives a perfect model of a micro grid with optimized size of wind, solar, diesel generator and battery using HOMER software. A detailed cost analysis is carried out and the designed system is compared with only DG system in terms of emission, fuel consumption and cost of the system over the next 15 years.