HYBRID power SYSTEMS

Hybrid power systems, (i.e. systems that combine more than one power source such as photovoltaics and
wind turbine diesel generator ), is one of the most promising applications of renewable energy
technologies in remote areas, where the cost of grid extension is prohibitive and the price of fossil fuels
increase drastically with the remoteness of location.

Hybrid systems are classified according to their technical configuration. “Series” hybrid systems go well
with low power applications while “switched” suit better to village grid electrification. The “parallel”
configuration offers the opportunities of achieving cost reductions and improved reliability,
standardization at the component level, which is now considered to be a more satisfactory solution than
standardization at the level of the system. In particular, the modular hybrid power supply concept, by
coupling all generators, storage media and loads on the AC-side, realizes simplicity in system design,
expandability and security of power supply. The modular technology enables integral solutions, and
establishes industrial series production at lower cost. A new trend in hybrid systems architecture is the
use of hydrogen/fuel cell subsystems, as an alternative storage mean to the classical lead-acid batteries,
offering the possibility of seasonal storage

In standalone hybrid systems, a well-matched load together with a carefully selected choice of appliances
(efficient appliance ) can lead to significant savings in terms of reduced need for Renewable energy source
installation capacity and electricity storage capacity. Purchasing of energy-efficient appliances has a direct
positive effect on the economy and the environment.
The hybrid power systems are being applied with the aim to:

 deliver electricity to isolated rural populations, based on village-scale mini-grids

 desalinate sea water in order to increase drinking water supply and water availability for
irrigation
 increase agricultural water pumping by solar and wind powered water pumps
 disseminate cooling systems for the food conservation in farms and fisheries powered by
renewables
 address, in the grid-connected urban and tourist areas, the household and community demand
for lighting, food storage, drugs cooling, access to communication networks by using solar home
systems, small wind turbines, biogas and hydrogen sub-systems
 create joint-ventures and other manufacturing, assembly and distribution-installation
capabilities in developing countries

Stand - alone systems that rely on natural energy flows in the environment must inevitably cope with
intermittency. Their main defense against unreliability and loss of service is a battery bank to store
incoming energy whenever it is generated and feed it out to the electrical loads on demand. But in many
cases system reliability may be enhanced, and the size of the battery bank reduced, by a hybrid system
based on two or more energy sources. PV and wind power are often attractively complementary,
especially in climatic regions such as Western Europe where low levels of winter sunshine tend to
coincide with the windiest season of the year.

In some applications, it is both economical and desirable to use a hybrid system, whereby the PV
supplies some or most of the load, but with a diesel or petrol generator as a backup. This allows the PV
system to be designed to quite a low availability, usually resulting in considerable savings on battery
capacity and to a lesser extent on PV panels. Obviously, for many applications, particularly in remote
areas, generators and PV are quite incompatible. However, for applications such as homesteads, where
on-site labour is available for maintenance, they should be seriously considered, especially when a
system design falls within the region in Figure below labelled consider hybrid.

Using the hybrid indicator

The hybrid indicator of Fig. below has the load (in watt-hours per day) graphed on the vertical axis and
the array-to-load ratio graphed on the horizontal axis. The ‘array-to load ratio’ is the array power rating
in peak watts (i.e. for 1 kW/m2 insolation levels) divided by the load in watt-hours per day (i.e. Wp/Wh.)
To use this graph, first design the system as if it were to be powered purely by PV and then look at its
location on the graph. As can be seen from Fig. hybrid systems are preferable for larger loads and higher
array-to-load ratios. The latter occur in climates where there is a lot of cloudy weather, necessitating a
large area of PV panels, hence giving a large ratio. This makes it more economical to reduce the PV area
in favor of other generators. The hybrid indicator is a guide only, as there may be other reasons to prefer
PV or a hybrid system. In addition, the above curve is shifting with time as the cost of photovoltaics
continues to fall relative to diesel and other generators.

Advantage of hybrid power system

 It may too expensive, in terms of the PV array and battery store, to provide a sufficiently reliable
service with photovoltaics, especially where solar insolation is highly seasonal. For example, does
it make economic sense to install a PV system that can cope withoccasional high load demands in
winter when sunlight is in short supply? A hybrid system with a back - up diesel generator may be
a better option.
 Diesel engines are very inefficient when lightly loaded, giving poor fuel economy. Low running
temperatures and incomplete combustion tend to produce carbon deposits on cylinder walls
(glazing), reducing service lifetimes. It is advisable to run engines above 70 – 80% of full rated
output whenever possible. But a lone diesel generator that can cope with occasional peak
demands is likely to run at low output much of the time. Better to turn it off and use PV and the
battery bank when electricity demand is low. The diesel can boost charge the batteries if
necessary, at a high charging rate.
 In addition to rising fuel costs, unpleasant fumes, and the noise of diesel engines, it may be
difficult to obtain reliable fuel supplies and engine maintenance services in remote locations. PV
 needs no fuel and, provided the battery bank is looked after properly, should be low -
maintenance.
 If an existing diesel installation needs upgrading, the addition of PV may be a good solution. Being
essentially modular, PV may be added in small stages, raising system power capacity in line with
increasing demand.

We see that the combination of PV with diesel can offer distinct environmental and economic benefits
compared with a diesel generator on its own. Each energy source is used to best advantage, taking account
of its special features. Substantial savings on diesel fuel and maintenance can be realized in those hybrid
systems where a diesel generator remains the most realistic option for meeting occasional high load
demands and providing security of supply.

Figure below illustrates a common form of PV – diesel hybrid system. The PV array feeds its electricity
into a main cable highway known as the DC bus (short for busbar) via a charge controller, and the diesel
generator supplies AC electricity to an equivalent AC bus that supplies the AC loads. The AC bus and DC
bus are connected by an inverter and a battery charger, which may be combined in a single unit. This
allows the diesel generator to charge up the battery bank if required; and the battery bank to supply AC
to the electrical loads. A master switch S , operated either manually or automatically, effects changeover
between the diesel generator and the battery bank for supplying the AC loads, depending on operating
conditions. Intelligent use of this arrangement ensures that the diesel engine is always run fairly hard to
satisfy a high load demand or boost charge the battery bank. At other times the PV and battery bank take
over.

This system, in which the AC loads are switched between the diesel generator and the battery bank plus
inverter, is conceptually simple and quite common in practice. It is straightforward to implement as a
system upgrade for an existing diesel installation.

An alternative parallel - hybrid configuration dispenses with the changeover switch and uses automatic
control circuits and a more sophisticated inverter - charger to bring in the diesel generator when
necessary. Such a system can often meet the load demand in a more optimal way without the need for
human supervision. A fuller account of the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of diesel
hybrid stand - alone systems is given elsewhere, and we will meet a sophisticated island mini - grid of this
type .
A comprehensive hybrid system of this kind, involving various energy sources and domestic and business
loads, justifies a sophisticated control system. Its aim is to make the most of available renewable
generation, deciding between the various sources in times of surfeit, ensuring that the battery bank is
neither overcharged nor over - discharged, and transmitting electricity efficiently to the various loads, and
bringing in the diesel generators when necessary.

We conclude this section by a return to our starting point: the potential of hybrid systems, including those
based on PV and wind energy, to raise the reliability and reduce overall costs of renewable electricity in
remote areas. In principle it is possible to include several different sources (not necessarily including diesel
generators). Care is needed over system integration, for example in choosing several stand - alone
inverters which cannot, in general, be interconnected because of the need to synchronise their AC outputs
in frequency and phase. But, once again, modern electronics including power - conditioning and control
units come to the rescue, with increasingly elegant solutions to the needs of the PV systems engineer.

State of art of hybrid power system

Hybrid systems can be classified according to their configuration as

(a) Series hybrid energy systems

(b) Switched hybrid energy systems

(c) Parallel hybrid energy systems: The parallel hybrid systems can be further divided to DC or AC coupling.

(a) .Series Configuration

In the conventional series hybrid systems all power generators feed DC power into a battery. Each
component has therefore to be equipped with an individual charge controller and in the case of a diesel
generator with a rectifier.

To ensure reliable operation of series hybrid energy systems both the diesel generator and the inverter
have to be sized to meet peak loads. This results in a typical system operation where a large fraction of
the generated energy is passed through the battery bank, therefore resulting in increased cycling of the
battery bank and reduced system efficiency. AC power delivered to the load is converted from DC to
regulated AC by an inverter or a motor generator unit. The power generated by the diesel generator is
first rectified and subsequently converted back to AC before being supplied to the load, which incurs
significant conversion losses. The solar and wind charger prevents overcharging of the battery bank from
the PV generator when the PV power exceeds the load demand and the batteries are fully charged .The
system can be operated in manual or automatic mode, with the addition of appropriate battery voltage
sensing and start/stop control of the engine-driven generator.

Advantage and disadvantage of serious configuration

 Advantages:

 The engine-driven generator can be sized to be optimally loaded while supplying

the load and charging the battery bank, until a battery SOC of 70–80% is
reached.

 No switching of AC power between the different energy sources is required,

which simplifies the electrical output interface.
  The power supplied to the load is not interrupted when the diesel generator is
started.

 The inverter can generate a sine-wave, modified square wave or square-wave

depending on the application.

 Disadvantages:

 The inverter cannot operate in parallel with the engine driven generator,
therefore the inverter must be sized to supply the peak load of the system.

 The battery bank is cycled frequently, which shortens its lifetime.

 The cycling profile requires a large battery bank to limit the depth-of-discharge
(DOD).

 The overall system efficiency is low, since the diesel cannot supply power
directly to the load.

 Inverter failure results in complete loss of power to the load, unless the load can
be supplied directly from the diesel generator for emergency purposes

(b) Switched Configuration

Despite its operational limitations, the switched configuration remains one of the most common
Installations in some developing countries. It allows operation with either the engine-driven generator or
the inverter as the AC source, yet no parallel operation of the main generation sources is possible. The
diesel generator and the RES can charge the battery bank.

The main advantage compared with the series system is that the load can be supplied directly by the
engine-driven generator, which results in a higher overall conversion efficiency. Typically, the diesel
generator power will exceed the load demand, with excess energy being used to recharge the battery
bank. During periods of low electricity demand the diesel generator is switched off and the load is supplied
from the PV array together with stored energy. Switched hybrid energy systems can be operated in
manual mode, although the increased complexity of the system makes it highly desirable to include an
automatic controller, which can be implemented with the addition of appropriate battery voltage sensing
and start/stop control of the engine-driven generator.

Advantage and disadvantage of switched configuration

• Advantages:

• The inverter can generate a sine-wave, modified square wave, or square-wave,

depending on the particular application.

• The diesel generator can supply the load directly, therefore improving the system
efficiency and reducing the fuel consumption.

• Disadvantages:

• Power to the load is interrupted momentarily when the AC power sources are
transferred.

• The engine-driven alternator and inverter are typically designed to supply the peak load,
which reduces their efficiency at part load operation

(c) Parallel Configuration

The parallel hybrid system can be further classified as DC and AC couplings. A bi-directional inverter is
used to link between the battery and an AC source (typically the output of a diesel generator). The bi-
directional inverter can charge the battery bank (rectifier operation) when excess energy is available from
the diesel generator or by the renewable sources, as well as act as a DC–AC converter (inverter operation).
The bi-directional inverter may also provide “peak shaving” as part of a control strategy when the diesel
engine is overloaded. In Fig. a, the renewable energy sources (RES) such as photovoltaic and wind are
coupled on the DC side. DC integration of RES results in “custom” system solutions for individual supply
cases requiring high costs for engineering, hardware, repair, and maintenance. Furthermore, power
system expandability for covering needs of growing energy and power demand is also difficult. A better
approach would be to integrate the RES on the AC side rather than on the DC side as shown in Fig. b.
Parallel hybrid energy systems are characterized by two significant improvements over the series and
switched system configuration.

Electricity generation coupled at DC bus line

All electricity generating components are connected to a DC bus line from which the battery is charged
generating components need an AC/DC converter. The battery, controlled and protected from over
charge and discharge by a charge controller, then supplies power to the DC loads in response to the
demand. AC loads can be optionally supplied by an inverter.

Fig DC coupling

Electricity generation coupled at AC bus line

AC generating components may be directly connected to the AC bus line (or may need a AC/AC converter
to enable stable coupling of the components. In both options, a bidirectional master inverter controls the
energy supply for the AC loads and the battery charging. All electricity generating components are
connected to an AC bus line. DC loads can be optionally supplied by the battery
Fig AC coupling

Electricity generation coupled at AC/DC bus lines

DC and AC electricity generating components are connected at both sides of a master inverter, which
controls the energy supply of the AC loads. DC loads can be optionally supplied by the battery. On the
AC bus line, AC generating components may be directly connected to the AC bus line or may need a
AC/AC converter to enable stable coupling of the components

Fig AC/DC coupling

Practical examples of hybrid system
DESIGN, OPTIMIZATION AND SIMULATION TOOLS FOR HYBRID SYSTEMS

There are many programs available that simulate renewable energy systems both freely and commercially
available. Among them some have the ability to simulate hybrid systems; the most popular of which are:
HYBRID2, developed by the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA), TRNSYS originally
developed by the University of Wisconsin (USA), HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric
Renewables), developed by NREL, andRETScreen. Some other software packages are also mentioned such
as SOMES, RAPSIM2 and HOGA.

SOMES v.3.2

SOMES, or Simulation and Optimization Model for renewable Energy Systems, was developed in the
Department of Science, Technology and Society at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Its development
began in 1986, ver. 3.0 was published as package in 1993 and ver. 3.2 became available in 1996 (Van Dijk
1996). SOMES can simulate both battery and grid-connected energy systems incorporating PV, wind and
diesel generators. It has models for inverters, different control strategies and economic analysis functions.
Performance is determined using an hour-by-hour simulation.

HYBRID2

The Hybrid2 code can model many combinations of wind turbines, photovoltaic arrays, diesel generators,
power converters, and battery storage in AC, DC, or two-bus systems. Hybrid2 also allows for more than
100 different dispatch configurations with multiple diesel generators, renewable sources, a synchronous
condenser, and battery storage. The model has an easy-to-use graphical interface, an in-depth library to
facilitate system design, and a detailed glossary of frequently used terms to assist users who are not
familiar with hybrid power system terminology. The software also includes an energy audit tool to assist
in determining the load for an un electrified community as well as a method to enter such data into the
model.

Time-series data for wind, solar insulation, and temperature can be entered into the software and a data
processor is available to fill holes that may occur in the data. The code also includes a comprehensive
economics package that incorporates system operation and maintenance costs, equipment overhaul
costs, installation costs, taxes, and the system salvage value. Outputs include, where applicable, useful
wind and solar energy, diesel energy, diesel operating hours and start/stops, diesel fuel use, storage
system energy losses, and battery life. Economic module outputs include, but are not limited to, life-cycle
costing, project cash flow, and investment payback. To ensure code accuracy, Hybrid2 software has been
compared to a number of operational hybrid power systems and has been tested independently.

RAPSIM2

RAPSIM2 (Remote Area Power SIMulator) was developed by Murdoch University Energy Research
Institute (MUERI) Australia. It was originally produced to evaluate diesel/battery systems, but it contains
also renewable energy components, such as PV and wind generators. It also incorporates other RAPS
components and can simulate systems using different control strategies. It performs life-cycle costing.
Version 2.0 was released in 1997

TRNSYS
TRNSYS was initially developed to simulate thermal systems but it has incorporated PV systems to
simulate hybrid systems such as those proposed here, however it cannot optimize them. Since the original
release, many others have contributed to the TRNSYS software and the most recent release is the 16th
version. TRNSYS can be used to simulate and design hybrid systems (Program manual, University of
Wisconsin– Madison, 2000). TRNSYS has a modular structure; it recognizes a system description language
in which the user specifies the components that constitute the system and the manner in which they are
connected. The TRNSYS library includes many of the components commonly found in electrical energy
systems, as well as component routines to handle input of weather data or other time-dependent forcing
functions and output of simulation results. The modular nature of TRNSYS gives the program tremendous
flexibility, and facilitates the addition to the program of mathematical models not included in the standard
TRNSYS library. TRNSYS is well suited to detailed analyses of any system whose behavior is dependent on
the passage of time.

HOMER

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed HOMER, an optimization model that
considers hourly and seasonal variations in loads and resources, simple performance characterizations for
each component, equipment costs, reliability requirements, and other site-specific information. HOMER
ranks the configurations by life-cycle cost and can automatically perform sensitivity analyses on any subset
of its inputs. It is intended for preveasibility analysis when the interest spans a broad range of inputs,
either because the input data is uncertain or because the analysis covers a large area with differing
conditions. In addition to performing optimized configurations, HOMER provides hourly energy flows
through each component, the impact of several simple load management strategies, and economic
information such as the cost of energy and net cost of the system.

NREL researchers have used HOMER in several analyses for the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Russia,
Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and for market analyses for domestic renewable energy
suppliers and technology developers. It also has been used for market assessment and screening to
initialize detailed site-specific Hybrid2 analyses. HOMER is intended for use by renewable energy or rural
electrification professionals. If hourly load data is not available, it can be synthesized using typical days
for each month, with a user-specified level of additional variability. Hourly solar and wind resource data
can also be synthesized from monthly averages if measured hourly data is not available. A grid extension
module has been added, allowing a cost comparison between stand-alone hybrid power systems and the
traditional extension of the electrical grid. The output capabilities of HOMER are significant. Any of the
annual outputs (including the optimal system type) can be plotted versus one or two sensitivity variables.
HOMER reports both optimal and near-optimal solutions. Sample files have been created that compile
the results of more than a million annual simulations into a sensitivity analysis that shows the optimal
design over a wide range of load, resource, and economic parameters.

RETScreen

RETScreen® International4 is a standardized and integrated renewable energy project analysis software (
http://retscreen.gc.ca or http://www.retscreen.net).This tool provides a common platform for both
decision-support and capacity-building purposes. RETScreen can be used worldwide to evaluate the
energy production, life-cycle costs and greenhouse gas emissions reduction for various renewable
energy technologies (RETs). RETScreen is made available free-of-charge by the Government of Canada
through Natural Resources Canada's CANMET Energy Diversification Research Laboratory (CEDRL). The
user is encouraged to properly register at the RETScreen website so that CEDRL can report on the global
use of RETScreen. RETScreen can be used worldwide to easily evaluate the energy production, life-cycle
costs and greenhouse gas emission reductions for various RETs.