Techno-Economic Comparative Analysis between Grid-Connected and Stand-Alone Integrated Energy Systems for an Educational Institute

Promoting green energy initiatives are vital in educational institutes to encounter the energy demand and providing a sustainable life. In the most part, solar and wind energy options are chosen as renewable energy projects to meet part of electricity demand. However, because of the intermittent nature of these sources, alternative technologies should be chosen to provide effective and sustainable solutions. Various energy resources need to be combined in order to provide effective and efficient power generation. The present paper therefore focuses on the feasibility study of integrated energy systems for the energy supply of the educational institution. The work examines the techno-economic performance of various grid-connected and stand-alone integrated energy systems for an educational institute for making a decision before implementing green energy technologies. First, the energy demand is estimated for the entire campus. Further, the potential of renewable energy resources is assessed using NASA and NREL. A detailed survey was carried out to select the components required to model the various integrated energy systems. The modelling, optimization and economic study are performed using HOMER Pro software. A comparative economic analysis is made among considered integrated systems using Net Present Cost (NPC), COE and pay-back period. The study divulges that the grid-connected hybrid system is the optimal one for meeting the power demand of the institute in a reliable manner.