Design of a hybrid renewable energy system for a northern ontario community

Renewable energy alternatives for off-grid northern communities are investigated via a specific case study of Fort Hope, Ontario. The current energy systems in most off-grid communities consist of diesel generators, which can be both financially and environmentally unsustainable. In lieu of this, a hybrid system comprised of a 636 kW run-of-the-river hydropower, existing 650 and 375 kW diesel generators, and 150 kg hydrogen storage and 100 kW fuel cell system is proposed. The design achieves a renewable energy penetration of 54%, a levelised cost of energy 41% less than the baseline model, and a reduction of 2,000 tonnes in annual diesel generator emissions. The HOMER model developed for the design is compared to RETScreen results; total power output deviated by 2%, however, renewable energy penetration varied largely due to monthly versus hourly modelling techniques and different controls on the dispatch strategy in each modeling software. Total capital costs and annual operating costs of the proposed design are $4.6 million and $990,000, respectively. Renewable energy systems can be considered a solution to humanitarian concerns due to increasing utility costs, emissions and load constraints. Renewable energy systems in remote communities require further research and development to lower equipment costs and enhance policy to achieve financial viability.