Design of Hybrid Power System Consisting of Photovoltaic System, Diesel Generator and Backup Diesel Generator for Off-Grid Areas

Abstract

The power system operated by a diesel generator in off-grid areas suffers from interruptions due to limited access to a fuel supply. This project aims to improve the energy system reliability for oil exploration companies in Saudi Arabia by creating a hybrid system (comprising three sources in parallel: photovoltaic system, diesel generator and backup diesel generator) using MATLAB SIMULINK. The photovoltaic system acts as the primary source, with switches transferring automatically to alternative sources when demand exceeds the solar supply. This paper proposes the hybrid system design. The Perturb and Observe method is employed to achieve a maximum power point tracker that extracts the highest energy from the photovoltaic system. Additionally, the paper presents a control algorithm for automatic transfer switches to enable smooth source transitions without delays. For the technical aspect, the proposed system was evaluated to ensure the successful operation of it. Moreover, this system is superior to the conventional system in two aspects. Firstly, the proposed design can enhance the generation system reliability for oil exploration companies. Secondly, it can reduce CO2 emissions by 29.28% annually. Therefore, the proposed design can be one of the effective means to achieve Saudi Vision 2030's objectives to enhance the environment.