Modeling and Economic Assessment of an Agricultural Microgrid: A Comparative Analy

Abstract

Sustainable energy resources are essential to meet the
world's growing population and extending energy demands.
Among the potential solutions, incorporating renewable energy
sources into hybrid energy systems holds a lot of opportunities.
This paper presents a design and economic analysis for an off-grid
microgrid intending to power agricultural loads. Solar resources
and PV-inverter system were modeled using pvlib-python, while
the remainder of the microgrid, including the battery energy
storage system (BESS) and biogas-based generator (BGG), was
modeled and simulated using a custom dispatch method. The same
system was modeled in Homer as well, and the outcomes of the
designed microgrid were compared. When compared to Homer,
the proposed approach reduced life cycle cost (LCC), and levelized
cost of energy (LCOE) by 25%, and 20%, and emissions by 85%.
In terms of generation, the proposed strategy reduced PV
production by 20%, BGG output by 85%, and unmet load and
surplus energy by 14% and 65%, respectively. The study
additionally addressed an in-depth approach to modeling PV using
various data sources and the associated modules and
functionalities.