Unit Sizing of a Stand-alone Hybrid Power System Using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)

The major application of the stand-alone power system is in remote areas where utility lines are uneconomical to install due to terrain, the right-of-way difficulties or the environmental concerns. The wind power output can fluctuate on an hourly or daily basis. The stand-alone system must, therefore, have some means of storing energy, which can be used later to supply the load during the periods of low or no power output. Alternatively, the wind can also be used in a hybrid configuration with fuel cell in urban areas. In this paper a novel intelligent method is applied to the problem of sizing in a hybrid power system such that demand of residential area is provided. The system consist of fuel cells, some wind units, an electrolyser, a reformer, a compressor, an anaerobic reactor and a hydrogen tank. The system is assumed to be stand-alone and uses the municipal waste as an available energy resource. PSO algorithm is used for optimal sizing of system's components.