The paper presents the results of a technical and economic analysis of three
stand-alone hybrid power systems based on renewable energy sources which
supply a specific group of low-power consumers. This particular case includes
measuring sensors and obstacle lights on a meteorological mast for wind
measurements requiring an uninterrupted power supply in cold climate
conditions. Although these low-power (100 W) measuring sensors and obstacle
lights use little energy, their energy consumption is not the same as the
available solar energy obtained on a daily or seasonal basis. In the paper,
complementarity of renewable energy sources was analysed, as well as one of
short-term lead-acid battery-based storage and seasonal, hydrogen-based
(electrolyser, H2 tank, and fuel cells) storage. These relatively complex
power systems were proposed earlier for high-power consumers only, while this
study specifically highlights the role of the hydrogen system for supplying
low-power consumers. The analysis employed a numerical simulation method
using the HOMER software tool. The results of the analysis suggest that solar
and wind-solar systems, which involve meteorological conditions as referred
to in this paper, include a relatively large number of lead-acid batteries.
Additionally, the analysis suggests that the use of hydrogen power systems
for supplying low power-consumers is entirely justifiable, as it
significantly reduces the number of batteries (two at minimum in this
particular case). It was shown that the increase in costs induced by the
hydrogen system is acceptable.
A Smart Series Reactive Voltage Regulator Integrated with Renewable Energy Sources for Low Power Application
