Multi-criteria optimal sizing of hybrid renewable energy systems including wind, photovoltaic, battery, and hydrogen storage with ɛ-constraint method

Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) should be designed appropriately with an adequate combination of different renewable sources and various energy storage methods to overcome the problem of intermittency of renewable energy resources. A multi-criteria approach is proposed in this study to design an HRES including wind turbine, photovoltaic panels, fuel cell, electrolyser, hydrogen tank, and battery storage unit with an intermittent load. Three design criteria including loss of power supply probability, total energy loss (TEL), and the power difference between generation and storing capacity (as TELSUB) are taken into account in minimising the total cost of the system considering the interest rate and lifetime. The justifications and advantages of using these criteria are thoroughly discussed along with appropriate presentation of the results. The purpose of considering TEL and TELSUB is discussed thoroughly. The ɛ-constraint method is used to handle practical constraints of the proposed multi-criteria problem to construct a multi-objective fitness function. Shuffled frog leaping algorithm is implemented to achieve better optimal results. The proposed approach is implemented using real wind speed and solar irradiance data for a specific location with an intermittent load demand. The results verify performance of the proposed multi-criteria design procedure.