Techno-economic analysis of a stand-alone microgrid for a commercial building in eight different climate zones

Abstract Small commercial buildings in the United States consume 47% of the total primary energy of the buildings sector and, to save energy and mitigate the environmental impact of electricity consumption, distributed generation, involving renewable energy sources, might be a promising solution. In the present paper, a self-made simulation tool has been developed using Matlab/Simulink® to model a stand-alone polygeneration power plant for a strip mall. A photovoltaic panel array has been coupled to a battery and a unitized regenerative polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell as primary storage/backup systems and a diesel generator as secondary backup system. The possibility of applying the same plant layout and control strategy to eight different climate zones in eight different States has then been assessed. Results show that even in the most favorable conditions in terms of daily radiation and average temperature, such as Miami, Las Vegas or Houston, the cost of electricity of the utility makes the implementation of these systems still inconvenient, unless a reduction in the initial investment costs of above 60% is pursued by means of incentives or a further establishment of the proposed technologies.