The Possibility of Generating Electricity Using Small-Scale Wind Turbines and Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Households in Northern Cyprus: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The increased energy demand and related environmental problems caused by burning fossil fuels have raised interest in alternative energy sources. This study investigated the wind characteristics and available wind energy for three urban regions in Northern Cyprus using the Weibull distribution function. The results illustrate that Gazimağusa is the most applicable location for harvesting the kinetic energy of the wind compared to Lefkoşa and Girne. Moreover, the solar potential at a specific location can be analyzed using a different simulation tool. In the present paper, the performance of a rooftop Photovoltaic (PV) system for household buildings in three selected is assessed. Three types of simulation software (PVGIS, PV*SOL, and PVWatts) are used to evaluate the performance of the 6.4 kWp grid-connected rooftop PV system. This study assessed the energy generation, performance ratio and capacity factor for this PV system. The results concluded that PVGIS is an easy, fast, and reliable software tool that can be used for the simulation of a solar PV system in the studied regions. Furthermore, an economic evaluation of renewable systems in the three urban regions is presented. As a result, a small-scale grid-connected solar/wind system that is able to generate electricity with an excellent percentage of clean energy was proposed and developed. The analysis indicates that the proposed PV projects showed significant potential in the studied locations. In addition, the proposed PV system is the most economical option for generating electricity compared to wind systems due to the low electricity prices and of the ability to recover the initial investment. Consequently, it is expected that the simulation results will help in demonstrating the advantages and challenges of installing grid-connected PV systems for households in Northern Cyprus in order to reduce the electricity consumption produced by fossil fuels.

Sustainable energy planning for the aspiration to transition from fossil energy to renewable energy in Northern Cyprus

“…Studies on renewable energy sources in the northern part of Cyprus, show that the solar and wind potential is intensively investigated, Table 2 . Climatic conditions make the installation of solar and wind power plants ideal in the country, but the potential and efficiency of solar energy in NC is much more important than wind energy [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. In NC, there are not yet large platforms where wind turbines are installed that allow the use of wind energy.…”

Techno‐economic analysis of a hybrid solar wind electric vehicle charging station in highway roads

“…The performance of the 6.4 kWp gridconnected rooftop PV system is evaluated using three types of simulation software (PVGIS, PV*SOL, and PVWatts) and the effects concluded that PVGIS is an easy, fast, and dependable software program device that may be used for the simulation of a sun PV machine to the studied regions. 40 The hybrid system is sized to meet Jordan's renewable energy rules by maximizing the proportion of demand satisfied by the hybrid system (FRES) with the cost of electricity less than the grid tariff and a 100% renewable energy ratio. In addition to, the technical and economic viability, the integrated lithium-ion bank batteries are investigated.…”

Techno-Economic Feasibility of Grid-Connected Solar PV System at Near East University Hospital, Northern Cyprus

“…Propose a 4.85 kW grid-connected PV rooftop systems in Nicosia (Lefkoşa), Morphou (Güzelyurt) and Dipkarpaz All selected locations have a higher potential for solar energy [40] Develop a 6.4 kW grid-connected PV wind systems for household in Lefkoşa, Girne and Gazima gusa…”