Integrating a solar PV power plants and waste-to-energy facility for stable power generation

One of the predominant problems encountered by consumers in the Al-Gharab network in Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq, pertains to the issue of scheduled power interruptions due to the high gap between the generation and demand. The network also suffers from power losses and voltage deviations. This study aims to eliminate the issue of scheduled power interruptions by integrating Distributed Generation (DG) sources based on the available energy sources, which are Waste-To-Energy (WTE), in addition to the Photovoltaic (PV) sustainable source. The proposed system is simulated using the Open Distribution System Simulator (OpenDSS). The AutoAdd Optimization (AAO) technique was adapted to determine the optimal placement and size of the distributed generators. The findings indicated that the integration of WTE generation with solar PV plants result in power generation that is adaptable to variations in solar irradiation and fluctuations in demand, meeting roughly 50 % of the power demand in the Al-Gharab network throughout the day. This led to a 50 % decrease in the amount of electricity sourced from the national grid. Additionally, the outcomes of the simulation demonstrated that the suggested hybrid system improves network efficiency by reducing total active power losses, total reactive power losses, and voltage deviation index by 77 %, 42 %, and 87 %, respectively. The Homer Pro tool was used for the economic viability analysis. The findings exhibited a satisfactory economic feasibility. The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of the proposed system was found to be 0.0877 $/kWh, representing a 7.7 % reduction compared to the base case (without DG), with a simple payback period of 9.6 years.