Optimal sizing of hybrid diesel engine – photovoltaic and battery system for a marine vessel application

Abstract

Environmental concerns have been motivating increased interest in the use of renewable energy sources as a result of diminishing of fossil fuel sources and the negative effect it has on the environment. Photovoltaic (PV) energy system is a renewable energy source with various applications and their implementation in energy production and saving are well documented in various research and applications. Installing these systems onto marine vessels or connecting it to marine vessel power plant through external connections could prove to be an efficient way of minimizing conventional fuel costs and simultaneously protecting the environment by significantly reducing carbon emission. In order to understand the technical and economic viability of using photovoltaic system for an offshore marine vessel, it is vital to determine the optimal sizing of PV system, battery, inverter and diesel generator. This project presents the proposed approach used in order to optimally size the power system components of hybrid system such as photovoltaic panels, inverter, battery and the conventional diesel generator. For this study, MATLAB software is used to develop a program to perform the power production calculation in order to meet the load demand pattern by utilizing power source from PV panel and conventional diesel generators. Probabilistic method is used to analyze the impact of random weather conditions to the sizing of the components. In addition, economic analysis was performed to optimize the sizing of the PV panels and batteries. Optimal sizing can save up to 1 percent of the Net Present Cost (NPC) with engine fuel price taken into consideration when comparison is made between 100 kW and 500 kW sized hybrid configuration. The conclusion of this project is that the developed algorithm is suitable to be used to optimally size hybrid diesel, PV and battery system.