Economic power generation for an off-grid site in Pakistan

This paper proposes an economic hybrid energy system for electrification of an off-grid remote site, Rakhi Gaj in Pakistan. Electrical load demand of water pumping station and primary household´s appliances is addressed using these systems. Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) using a hybrid micro grid (PV-diesel-wind) is computed to evaluate the importance of renewable resources at the site. The metrological data of the site is acquired from nearest weather station while irradiance is computed analytically using Angstrom as well as De Wit´s method. This analytical data is compared with the solar satellite data of NASA (National Aero Space Agency) to improve validity of solar resource inputs. It is evaluated in the research that electricity cost using diesel generator ($ 0.316/kWh) is significantly minimized ($ 0.230/kWh) by integrating renewable technologies. Sensitivity analysis is also performed by varying diesel prices and wind speeds to explore different options for domestic users. National Renewable Energy Laboratory´s (NREL) software, Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) is used for modelling and simulation.