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Energy mix optimization is considered an essential tool for assessing the efficacy of renewable energy system (RES). Countless approaches have been employed by grid planning engineers and scientists to optimally size grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems. Optimizing grid-connected PV systems is beneficial since it causes a reduction in the energy produced by the conventional power plants, and as a result, a reduction in the harmful emissions that are released as by-products. In this study, a large commercial load in the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia is connected to an optimally designed grid-connected PV systems with the support of a battery storage system (BSS). First, using HOMER software, the system components are chosen by considering the electrical and economic variables. A comparative investigation is carried out for three configuration systems along with the detailed technical study for the proposed systems. Simulation results recommend utilizing a battery system and RES with a minimum cost of energy (COE) of $0.11. Using both HOMER and MATLAB, the PV, converter, and battery system optimal size are estimated by considering the net present cost (NPC), COE, excess electricity and energy savings, emissions, and renewable penetration ratio to find the most economical and environmental-friendly combination. The results show that 1.60 MW is the optimal capacity of each PV, converter, and battery BSS elements to achieve the minimum targeted emission and COE, which resulted in a reduction in the overall NPC of the scheme. When the optimal design is configurated, it is found that the unmet load is zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tilt angle of photovoltaic (PV) panels is a major factor affecting the amount of solar radiation falling on the panel surface. The optimum tilt angle depends on the position of the sun, latitude and local geographical characteristics. This paper investigates PV panel optimum tilt angles for various cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For simulation purposes, horizontal solar radiation data for the study cities was obtained from NASA. MATLAB software was used to optimize tilt angle by maximizing solar radiation. Experiments were conducted to validate the theoretical requirement for negative tilt angles during summer. Results demonstrate that adjusting tilt angles six times per year harvests 99.5% of the solar radiation that could be attained with daily PV panel adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uganda is gifted by nature with abundant energy resources, mainly renewables, which can potentially provide the country with sufficient capacity to meet future growth in energy demand. Surprisingly, Uganda has one of the lowest electricity penetration levels, with only 9–12% of the total population having electricity access; 2–3% of them living in rural communities. There is multitude of challenges facing the energy sector of Uganda, forcing energy demand to always exceed the supply. For decades, hydropower has been and is still the base electricity supply of the country with a supplement of limited biomass, diesel based thermal and solar electricity. The objective of this paper is to review the potential and progress of renewable based distributed generation in Uganda. The potential of the country’s natural renewable resources and existing distributed generation is described and existing government policies are assessed. The challenges facing the energy sector and the suggested remedies are discussed. Various distributed generation systems that could be incorporated into the energy system of the country to improve renewable energy (RE) utilization and possibly contribute to the electricity needs of the population are also proposed and discussed. Exploitation of abundant RE resources through distributed energy generation around the region will not only improve the electricity needs of the country but also increase the economic welfare of the growing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an analysis of renewable energy feed-in tariffs (REFIT) for the selected regions of the globe is done with the aim of drawing lesson for Saudi Arabia. A brief background and status of renewable energy sources (RES) utilization in Saudi Arabia is given at the beginning of this paper, followed by a review of the feed-in tariff (FIT) design models reported in literature. The application of the policy in Europe, the United States, Australia, Asia and Africa is then reviewed. Some observations from the analysis of the FIT application in different countries have been discussed and finally, lessons have been drawn from the study. Some policy recommendations have been given for Saudi Arabia. The analysis of the lessons identified shows that the application of FIT scheme in Saudi Arabia is likely to speed up the development of renewable energy resources within the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource optimization is a major factor in the assessment of the effectiveness of renewable energy systems. Various methods have been utilized by different researchers in planning and sizing the grid-connected PV systems. This paper analyzes the optimal photovoltaic (PV) array and inverter sizes for a grid-connected PV system. Unmet load, excess electricity, fraction of renewable electricity, net present cost (NPC) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions percentage are considered in order to obtain optimal sizing of the grid-connected PV system. An optimum result, with unmet load and excess electricity of 0%, for serving electricity in Makkah, Saudi Arabia is achieved with the PV inverter size ratio of R = 1 with minimized CO 2 emissions. However, inverter size can be downsized to 68% of the PV nominal power to reduce the inverter cost, and hence decrease the total NPC of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOMER software is a powerful tool for modeling and optimization of hybrid energy system (HES). The main two default control strategies in HOMER are load following (LF) and cycle charging (CC) strategies. In these strategies, the decision to use the generator or battery at each time step is made based on the lowest-cost choice. Therefore, these strategies are difficult to be implemented in practice especially in countries with continuous fuel price fluctuations. In this study, a new dispatch strategy based on HOMER-MATLAB Link Controller for an isolated wind/diesel/battery HES is proposed to overcome the limitations of the default HOMER strategies. A detailed technical, economic, and greenhouse gas emission analysis is presented for the system under LF, CC, and the proposed dispatch strategies. Besides offering more realistic optimization, the results show that the proposed strategy offers the best economic and environmental performance with a net present cost of $56473 and annual CO 2 emissions of 6838 kg. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis reveals that the proposed strategy is not affected by the fuel price variation, in opposite to LF, and CC strategies which is affected dramatically by this variation. The findings are of paramount importance towards more realistic and efficient energy management strategies. • A new dispatch strategy for wind/diesel/battery hybrid energy systems using HOMER-MATLAB Link Controller is proposed. • Overcome HOMER default strategies limitation in dealing with continuous fuel price fluctuations. • The proposed strategy is compared with HOMER default strategies in terms of techno-economic and environmental performance. • Sensitivity analysis is conducted by considering variations in critical parameters. • The proposed strategy is more realistic and has better economic and environmental performance than HOMER default strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]