PV-Diesel-Hydrogen fuel cell based grid connected configurations for an institutional building using BWM framework and cost optimization algorithm

The concept of Demand Side Management (DSM) is a popular topic in power system that provides an opportunity for grid operators to improve power grid's stability and efficiency. However, most of the DSM techniques does not consider user satisfaction. This work uses the load data collected from a department in an institution located in Southern India based on user satisfaction to manage the load through peak shifting strategy in DSM technique. The load pattern before and after DSM implementation is supplied in an economical way through the utilization of renewable energy resources along with the existing grid connection. Optimization analysis is performed with the help of Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) simulation software for a different combination which includes PV with grid, PV-Diesel with grid and PV-Hydrogen fuel with grid. Of the various results obtained from simulation, the best configuration is selected based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The Best-Worst Method (BWM) under MCDA is used to select the best configuration based on various criteria. The results shows that the configuration of solar PV with grid after DSM (0.961 preference) holds the highest preference followed by the combined configuration of solar PV and diesel power with grid after DSM (0.792 preference) and lastly by the combined configuration of solar PV and hydrogen fuel cells with grid before DSM (0.425 preference). This work also develops an approach for cost optimisation, and it is capable of giving maximum satisfaction to the user based on the preferred user-budget which is another key finding of this work. Three different budget scenarios are considered, for which the load pattern generated reveals that maximum satisfaction is attained by the user for the predetermined user budgets.