Hybrid renewable power plant sizing – Graphical decision tool, sensitivity analysis and applications in Ajaccio and Tilos

When sizing a renewable energy power plant in a grid-connected scenario, the optimal solution depends on the energy exchange rates between the actors of the electrical network. This study presents an optimization method that can be adapted to various power plant configurations to obtain the best size for each component, depending on the weather and the consumption. The optimization problem is solved in two steps. A Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimizer gives the trade-off between the cost of the components and the amount of non-renewable energy used, then the posttreatment takes into account the energy exchange tariffs and presents the solutions that minimize the production cost for any import and export rates. Those results can be used to evaluate the feasibility of an installation or to define the exchange tariffs with the grid regulation entity. This study also showcases the effect of the economic assumptions and of the choice of the energy management strategy on the optimal solution. The results show that the variation of the optimal production cost is limited but the component size has to be adapted accordingly. In the same way, the Energy Management Strategy used influences the plant design without affecting significantly the production cost.