Browsing by Author "Mukoni, Esmerelda"
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- ItemGrid-connected hybrid energy system modeling and optimization study for green hydrogen production in South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12) Mukoni, Esmerelda; Garner, Karen; Van Staden, Chantelle; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study proposes a grid-connected hybrid energy system optimization model for green hydrogen production. The grid-connected hybrid energy system consists of wind and solar PV systems, which supply green hydrogen production facilitated by a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. With the intermittent nature of wind and solar resources, the electrical grid supplies renewable energy to satisfy the electrolyzer load demand. The proposed grid-connected hybrid energy system optimization model is determined using a constrained multi-objective, non-dominated sorting genetic optimization algorithm implemented in Pymoo, an open-source Python framework. The optimization model aims to minimize the cost of electricity purchased from the electrical grid and maximize efficiency at high reliability. The cost of electricity and reliability are based on the time-of-use tariff structure and loss of power supply probability respectively. The non-dominated genetic algorithm successfully converges to a Pareto front solution set, and the optimal solution is determined, including the optimal performance parameters of the wind turbine and number of solar PV modules. The optimal performance parameters provide a guideline for choosing the optimal wind turbine model and solar photovoltaic module. For evaluation and validation purposes, the developed grid-connected hybrid energy system optimization model is applied to a case study of six renewable energy development zones in South Africa. A grid-connected hybrid energy system optimization model which takes wind and solar resources, as well as load input to calculate the optimal wind and solar energy mix is successfully developed. As a result, the optimal wind turbine, solar PV module and inverter as well as the number of solar PV modules that result in an optimal grid-connected hybrid energy system are successfully obtained.