Optimal sizing of photovoltaic—battery power systems in a remote region in Kerman, Iran

Abstract

A solar energy system is an excellent solution for electrification of remote rural areas where the grid extension is difficult and not economical. This article presents a simple optimization method for calculating the optimum configurations of photovoltaic—battery (PV—bat) systems with high reliability and minimum cost. The proposed method has been applied to design a PV—bat system to supply a typical load requirement in a remote region in Kerman, Iran. To design an optimum stand-alone PV—bat system with high reliability and low costs, the optimization procedure, which is based on the annual electrical demand and solar radiation data, consists of two parts: the model of loss of power supply probability (LPSP) and the model of the levelized cost of energy. For the different desired LPSP requirements at given demand, the optimal numbers of solar array and battery hours of storage are obtained at the minimum system cost.