An investigation of solar PV systems coupled with diesel generators: Opportunities and challenges

Power shortages have recently become common in Iraq due to unprecedented urban growth. Energy plays a vital part in the economy, and acknowledging the connection between energy sufficiency and economic development is thus essential for future planning. Adopting clean energy is critical in modifying power systems to develop protection and stability, based on the necessity for minimising greenhouse gas emissions, and solar PV systems offer the most environmentally friendly resources. This study thus examined the effect of hybrid PVG systems from an economic perspective as a test study in the Karbala governorate, Iraq. Solar photovoltaic generation must be used to replace diesel generators at no additional cost. In this paper, the levelized cost of energy for traditional and photovoltaic generation methodologies is developed to support an understanding of techniques that may be competitive with conventional technologies. Power-seeking is essential to ensure that the solar energy system is operated at the highest possible power generation levels, but enlargement of the PV system is required to generate the desired power. Installing the overall PV system is thus costly, and there are losses in transferring solar energy to electrical energy. The cost of solar generation was nevertheless bounded between 0.66175 and 2.8485 $/kWh, while the cost for a diesel generator is 3.76 to 4 $/kWh. This confirms that the LCOS for the solar generator is the best, even in winter. In this study, the power-seeking regulator is set to modify the boost converter’s cycle by changing atmospheric boundaries; the dynamic response of the firefly technique is most rapid when irradiance is varied.