Evaluation of hybrid power system alternatives: a case study

✍ Scribed by Andrew L. Rosenthal

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 119 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1062-7995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-159x(199905/06)7:3<183::aid-pip266>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

Pursuant to executive and statutory policies, the National Park Service (NPS) has been evaluating the use of photovoltaic (PV) hybrid power systems for many of its remote, o-grid areas. This paper reports the results of a detailed technical and economic evaluation for one such area: the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. The study evaluates the present power system and ®ve alternative power generation con®gurations, four of which utilize PV. Projections are provided for the generator run-time and fuel use associated with each con®guration as well as all initial and future costs. Included in the study are speci®c recommendations for energy eciency improvements at the site. Results show that the generation system presently in use, two full-time diesel generators, has the lowest conventional 20-year life cycle cost (LCC) of the six systems evaluated. However, when emissions costs are included ( per NPS guidelines), several of the PV hybrid alternatives attain a lower LCC than the diesel-only system. General discussion of the eects of initial versus future costs for PV hybrids as they compare with engine generator systems is presented.