ABSTRACT

First Experimentation of Photurgen: An Optimization and Management

Software for Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems

Daren Watson, Jean Francois Dorville, Keith Duncan Department of Physics, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

RESULTS

METHODS

CONCLUSIONS

Hybrid solar-wind energy systems (Figure 10) have been the focus of energy research due to them providing higher efficiency than conventional systems.

Studies of these systems have been numerous due to complexities involved in the optimization of their design. These complexities can be attributed to the

number of variables, parametric constraints and computational processes required for the sizing of these systems to continuously supply a specific load

demand. This research presents the development and application of an open-source renewable energy management tool, Photurgen (Figure 7), which seeks

to mitigate against the limitations involved in solar-wind energy system design and optimization. Photurgen has three main modules, namely, Photurgen

Analysis, Photurgen Optimization and Photurgen Geographic Information System which constitutes the main requirements for system design. Existing tools

are limited by their proprietary nature and are often restricted to pre-defined applications. Written in a user-friendly language (Python), this tool is accessible,

open and adaptable to applications involving solar-wind energy systems (www.Photurgen.com).

As a first application, the economic viability of renewable energy production at three residential locations in eastern Jamaica is studied using Photurgen. One

year of meteorological data is collected along with the biomass disposal rate and load consumption patterns for each location (Figure 2). Results are

obtained through time-series analysis and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) sensitivities. As opposed to European and North American territories whose

climatic conditions are suitable for solar-wind systems, all site studied shows prevalence for solar only power generation systems. The results of this

assessment highlights Photurgen's integrity as a suitable alternative. Moreover, the application of hybrid solar-wind energy systems are not viable in all cases,

but rather limited by the local weather resources that determine their operational performance.

The procedure followed for the fulfillment Photurgen’s first application is outlined below:

• Selection of representative households from three (3) communities in eastern Jamaica with varying demographics (Figure 2)

1. Rural with largely agricultural activities – Windsor Castle, Portland (2 occupants)

2. Suburban with mainly residential components – Portmore, St. Catherine (5 occupants)

3. Coastal with a mix of residential and business activities – Harbour View, Kingston (5 occupants)

• Household energy audit to determine the daily power requirements.

• Collection of solar radiation data for twelve months, over the life of the project.

• Collection of wind speed data over a similar period.

• Simulate the data in Photurgen to obtain the optimal mix of solar-wind power generation systems. (Figure 9)

SOFTWARE: PHOTURGEN 1.0.

FEASIBILITY STUDY: SUMMARY OF RESULTS

Figure 2: Graph showing one of the sites of study, Portmore, Jamaica.

Figure 7: Structural Design of the Photurgen

Figure 8: Daily comparison of Power Consumption by Portmore household

Figure 10: Optimal RE System Design: 1.8 kW Grid-Tied

Solar System Recommended

Figure 9: Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis for different combination

of solar modules and wind turbines

Instrumentation: Data Collection

Figure 6: Vantage Pro 2 Wireless Console

on the wall of Portmore household

Figure 4: Vantage Pro 2 Weather Station

on roof of Portmore household

Figure 5: LCV Power Meter in power

box of Windsor Castle household

The analysis and optimization of hybrid renewable energy systems are usually done using

the aid of computational software such as HOMER, HOGA, and HYBRIDS which accounts

for different variables in the optimization process. The literature highlights the fact that it is

physically impossible to model the systems without the aid of modelling tools. The plethora

of packaged software available does spark curiosity as to which is the most ideal.

Currently under development is the Photurgen energy management tool, which is used for

the analysis below. This is one of the achievements of the research, given the possibilities

that exist by the conception of this open-source software model. Photurgen is the first of its

kind from the Caribbean region and is geared towards assisting energy practitioners and

householders with the design of their systems. The tool is able to assess the performance

of standalone and hybrid solar-wind energy systems; offering modules for analysis,

optimization and geo-referencing.

A 1.8 kW photovoltaic system is expected to operate at a

generating cost of 25 cents/kWh* in Portmore. On the other hand,

a wind system would not meet grid parity and therefore would not

be suitable for autonomous (off-grid) power generation at this

location.

A proposed 2 kW photovoltaic system at Windsor Castle is

expected to operate at a generating cost of 44 cents/kWh*. No

analysis was done on the wind power system given the extremely

low wind speeds at this location. Hence, a grid-tied solar system is

proposed.

A 1.8 kW photovoltaic system at Harbour View is expected to

operate at a generating cost of 29 cents/kWh*. Analysis suggests

that reducing the penetration of wind power in the setup will reduce

the cost of energy. Therefore, an autonomous wind standalone

system would not be viable. Hence, a grid-tied solar design would

be the best solution for this coastal location.

Photurgen is a suitable alternative for providing the optimal configuration of solar modules and wind turbines, given load consumption and

meteorological data. In all cases, solar systems are the most viable options with systems achieving grid parity in Portmore and Harbour View. Wind

speeds recorded are not suitable for autonomous power generation. Please visit www.Photurgen.com for more information on the tool.

*Current JPS residential consumer rate = 33 cents/kWh