Design of Solar-Biomass Hybrid Microgrid System in Sharjah

Micropower optimization model is used in this study to design renewable energy-based micro grid system: solar-biomass hybrid system for the electrification of the city of Sharjah. The principal objective is to explore the available renewable resources in Sharjah and to determine the optimal configuration to meet the desired electric loads of the city. The hybrid system consists of electrical loads, solar resources, biomass resources, and system components such as solar photovoltaic, biogas generators, biomass power, battery and converters. Input information on the primary loads, solar and biomass resource availability, technology options, components cost, constraints, and controls are determined. Hourly simulations with sensitive analysis were performed to calculate the energy to and from each component to design the most favorable renewable energy-based system. The optimized results of the alternative renewable energy-based hybrid systems with different levels of contributions by renewable resources are presented in this paper taking into account the technology costs, energy resource availability and the efficiency of the renewable energy system.