Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Off-Grid Electricity Supply: A Case Study of Goharan, Bashagard

Mohammad Behnam  Rashidi Mehrizi; Seyed Amin Saied; Tahere  Daemi

Authors

Mohammad Behnam Rashidi Mehrizi Department of Electrical Engineering, Ya.C., Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5881-5750
Seyed Amin Saied Department of Electrical Engineering, Ya.C., Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0665-4577
Tahere Daemi Department of Electrical Engineering, Ya.C., Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3802-3091

Keywords:

Hybrid renewable energy system; Off-grid electrification; Photovoltaic; Wind turbine; Lithium-ion battery; Diesel generator; HOMER Pro; Techno-economic analysis; Sensitivity analysis.

Abstract

This study aimed to technically, economically, and environmentally evaluate alternative hybrid renewable energy system configurations for off-grid electricity supply in Goharan, Bashagard County, Iran, and identify the configuration providing the most favorable balance among energy performance, life-cycle cost, renewable energy penetration, fossil-fuel dependence, and environmental impacts. Six off-grid configurations combining photovoltaic (PV) arrays, wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries, diesel generators, and power converters were modeled and optimized using HOMER Pro. Local electrical-load and renewable-resource data were incorporated, and configurations were compared using technical, economic, and environmental criteria, including optimal component capacities, annual energy production, renewable energy fraction (REF), fuel consumption, net present cost (NPC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and pollutant emissions. Multi-parameter sensitivity analyses examined changes in diesel-fuel price, discount rate, equipment capital costs, and electrical load. Scenario 1, comprising 4,733 kW PV, 13,000 kWh battery storage, and a 1,671 kW converter, emerged as the preferred base-case configuration, achieving 100% renewable energy, an NPC of approximately USD 6.20 million, and an LCOE of USD 0.098/kWh without direct fossil-fuel consumption. Its NPC was approximately 22% lower than Scenario 3, 29% lower than Scenario 5, and nearly 55% lower than Scenario 6. Scenario 2 showed the highest NPC at approximately USD 27.44 million and an LCOE exceeding four times that of Scenario 1. Among diesel-backed configurations, Scenario 6 achieved a 97.6% REF and limited diesel generation to 2.4%. Sensitivity analysis indicated that fuel price, equipment capital cost, and electrical load substantially influenced economic performance, while Scenario 1 remained the least-cost option across the examined discount-rate range. A PV–battery configuration provides the most economically and environmentally favorable solution for the studied off-grid system, whereas PV–wind–battery–diesel integration offers a strong alternative when dispatchable backup is required; therefore, scenario-based multi-criteria optimization can support robust planning of renewable off-grid electrification under changing economic and demand conditions.

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