Stand-Alone Hybrid Wind-Diesel Power Systems for Commercial Loads of Turaif-Saudi Arabia – Techno-Economics of Hot Desert Regions for Sustainable Clean Future
S. M. Shaahid
S. M. Shaahid*, Center for Engineering Research, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia. 

Manuscript received on January 02, 2020. | Revised Manuscript received on January 15, 2020. | Manuscript published on January 30, 2020. | PP: 2212-2217 | Volume-8 Issue-5, January 2020. | Retrieval Number: D7381118419/2020©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.D7381.018520
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: Hybrid wind-diesel technology is disseminated world-wide to minimize depletion of fossil-fuels and carbon emissions. Appreciable amount (10-40%) of energy generated is consumed by commercial/residential buildings of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A.). This investigation aims at techno-economic assessment of hybrid wind-diesel systems (HWDS) to satisfy electrical demand (620,000 kWh per year) of a representative commercial building at Turaif (Northern Province, K.S.A.) by analysis of wind speed data. As per the study, the monthly average wind speed of Turaif lies in the range 3.4 – 4.4 meters per second. The configurations simulated include various mixes of 100 kW wind machines (WTG) and diesel systems. The techno-economic evaluation is carried out by using NREL’s (HOMER Energy’s) HOMER software. The results point out that the wind fraction (with zero % load rejection) is 20% for a hybrid configuration composed of one 100 kW WTG together and 175 kW diesel generator. The energy generation cost (COE) from this system is 0.123 $/kWh. Also, 20% wind fraction, results in reducing carbon emissions by 91 tons/year. The diesel operation time is less with higher penetration of wind. Also, emphasis is on effect of wind fraction on energy produced, COE, operational time of diesel sets, un-met load, excess energy, fuel savings, carbon emissions, cost of HWDS, etc.
Keywords: Hybrid Systems, Wind-Diesel Technology, Commercial Electrical Demands, Emissions, HOMER.
Scope of the Article: Expert Systems.