Techno-economic energy analysis of wind/solar hybrid system: Case study for western coastal area of Saudi Arabia

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is an important concern in Photovoltaic (PV) systems As PV systems have a high cost of energy it is essential that they are operated to extract the maximum possible power at all times However, under non-uniform environmental conditions, which frequently arise in the outdoor environment, many MPPT techniques will fail to track the global peak power This review paper discusses conventional MPPT techniques designed to operate under uniform environmental conditions and highlights why these techniques fail under non-uniform conditions Following this, techniques designed specifically to operate under non-uniform environmental conditions are analysed and compared Simulation results which compare the performance of the common Perturb and Observe (P&O) method, the Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) and the Simulated Annealing (SA) MPPT approaches under non-uniform environmental conditions are also presented The research presented in this review indicates that there is no single technique which can achieve reliable global MPPT with low cost and complexity and be easily adapted to different PV systems

Maximum Power Point Tracking techniques for photovoltaic systems: A comprehensive review and comparative analysis

Solar and wind energy: Challenges and solutions in desert regions

Solar photovoltaic technology has been adopted by various global PV markets with 227 GW cumulative globally installed PV capacity in 2015 replacing the conventional fossil fuel energy resources. However, efficiency is still a big challenge for researchers and PV industry. This paper proposes a solar tracker and modified Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm for the standalone solar photo-voltaic system. Proposed algorithm confines the search space of the power curve to 10% area that contains Maximum Power Point (MPP) and starts perturbation and observation within that limited search space. The proposed P&O algorithm was simulated in MATLAB/Simulink. Solar tracker makes sure the availability of uniform and maximum irradiance to the solar module throughout the course of the sun during the day. Confinement of the algorithm’s search space lessened the response time to the changing weather conditions that in return decreases the steady-state oscillations at the MPP. Integration of the solar tracker and improved P&O MPPT algorithm provided the better quality and conditioned electricity to the load. The proposed system was experimentally steered whose results verified the effectiveness of the proposed P&O algorithm.

Implementation of improved Perturb & Observe MPPT technique with confined search space for standalone photovoltaic system

Renewable and sustainable energy production in Saudi Arabia according to Saudi Vision 2030; Current status and future prospects

The continued rise of electricity demand in Saudi Arabia means that power generation must expand. Conventional generation is a major cause of environmental pollution and negatively impacts human health through greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore essential that an alternative method of generation is found that preserves the environment and health and would support existing conventional generation during peak hours. Saudi Arabia is geographically suitable because it is located in the so-called sun belt, which has led it to become one of the largest solar energy producers. Solar energy is a serious competitor to conventional generation when the indirect costs of fossil fuels are included. Thus, processing sunlight via photovoltaic cells is an important method of generating clean energy. This article proves that the cost of solar energy will be less than the cost of fossil fuel energy if the cost of the environmental and health damages is taken into account.

A.H. Almasoud

Papers

Future of solar energy in Saudi Arabia