Analyzing of hydel, wind and fuel cell hybrid system for rural electrification with reduced cost of energy

Abstract

In this work, a Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) is proposed to electrify remote areas. Hydroelectric and wind energy potential are exploited, and they could be converted into chemical energy and stored in hydrogen fuel cells. By this technique, carbon emissions is substantially reduced and helps to control climate change and global warming. In this proposed work, surplus amount of electrical power is diverted to the production of hydrogen through electrolysis, the stored hydrogen can be used as a energy reserve which could be utilized based on requirement. The hydrogen fuel cell acts as a backup to the grid. A simulation study was carried out using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software. The simulation study reveals that the Cost of Energy has been significantly reduced.