Optimal hydrokinetic turbine location and techno-economic analysis of a hybrid system based on photovoltaic/hydrokinetic/hydrogen/battery

In a developing world where the demand for energy increases every day, the use of hybrid systems is a viable and important solution. The rivers present a significant potential for the electrical generation from the hydrokinetic use of the river currents, as well as the use of the solar radiation by means of the generation of photovoltaic solar energy for the electrical supply in rural areas. This paper presents a combination of both forms of electricity generation, photovoltaic generators and river turbine, to configure a hybrid system together with a subsystem of support based on hydrogen and batteries to guarantee the electrical supply of a set of isolated loads. The complete design of a hybrid system satisfies the energy requirements of a load. The methodology includes the optimal location of the turbine in a cross section of the river to maximize the performance of the hydroelectric generator, and the techno-economic study of all components of the hybrid system for an efficient use of renewable energy resources. The results show that the hybrid system provides the power demanded by the loads, hydroelectric and solar photovoltaic generation are optimized, and the battery storage subsystem loading status is kept avoiding deep discharges.