Design & Optimization of Standalone/Grid Connected Renewable Energy (Wind/Solar) System using Hybrid Energy Modeling Tools along Northern & Southern Routes of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan /

Abstract

For Pakistan, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been termed a "Game Changer" and a "Fate Changer." It is a megaproject by national, regional, and international standards, and if finished, it will have a profound and long-term influence not just on Pakistan's economy but also on the economies of neighboring nations. Along the CPEC routes, a lot of infrastructure development has happened at a quick rate in recent years. In the future, infrastructure expansion will not be sufficient to meet the energy demands of potential economic zones along northern and southern routes; grid extension will be difficult and costly. Electric power consumption is rising daily resulting in increased real and reactive power losses in transmission and distribution lines, particularly for centralized generating. When the best place for integrating renewable energy resources is appropriately planned or developed, the benefits of renewable energy resources may be accessed. However, the primary focus of this research will be on developing and optimizing standalone and grid-connected renewable energy wind/solar systems using hybrid energy modeling tools such as Homer Pro to estimate the wind/solar resource potential of selected areas along the Northern and Southern routes of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The research will be based on solar and wind data obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other databases. The proposed standalone system includes a DG set and energy storage devices like batteries to provide power backup in case of low solar intensity or wind potential during a season. On the other hand, DG sets and energy storage devices are not employed in the grid-connected system as continuous electrical power could be obtained from the grid. Connecting a load with a daily energy consumption of 1065.7kWh/day and maximum power demand of 206.64 kW was used to analyze the performance of the proposed model. Based on the decision factors of least cost of energy (LCOE) and net present cost, the overall cost of the planned standalone and grid-connected system was optimized (NPC). In this study, sensitivity analysis, techno-economic analysis, and cost analysis are performed.