Optimization, Sensitivity Analysis, and Techno-Economic Evaluation of a Multi-Source System for an Urban Community: a Case Study

Given the decline of non-renewable energy sources, trying to find new technologies and ways to supply energy and reduce fuel consumption is one of the top priorities of the world. One of the new technologies is fuel cell technology, which has received very little attention in Iran so far, and there is a need to study this technology more and more carefully, especially in combination with renewable energy sources in order to help energy decision-makers. Therefore, in the present work, for the first time, a hybrid wind-solar-fuel cell system for residential use in Yazd, located in the hot and dry climate of Iran, has been simulated using HOMER software. The aim is to find an optimal economic system to supply 15 kWh of electricity per day and to assess the impact of uncertainties, sensitivity analysis was performed on the intensity of solar radiation and wind speed. The simulation results show that the most economical system consists of a fuel cell, is based on wind turbine and solar cell, and has a total NPC, LCOE and LCOH of $ 23,674, $ 0.824 per kilowatt-hour, and $ 254.4 per kilogram, respectively. Also, not using the battery will lead to a 33.6 percent increase in the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated. For wind speeds of more than 8 meters per second, the results show that the optimal system with a fuel cell only includes wind turbines, and therefore increasing the intensity of solar radiation has no effect on the results.