**1. Introduction**

The world's need is increasing every day to reduce dependence on the use of fossil fuels, so finding means, solutions, and alternatives for how to produce the required energy has become of paramount importance. Thus, the push to develop and produce renewable energy globally increases every year, and many countries have managed to develop renewable energy projects based on solar and wind energy on a large scale. This progress is essential to the plan to replace renewable energy sources that depend on fossil fuels and establish a solid foundation for a sustainable society [1].

Off-grid power generation is a viable option for supplying electricity to small communities in developing countries that do not have enough money to spend on a continuous

**Citation:** El-Sattar, H.A.; Kamel, S.; Sultan, H.; Tostado-Véliz, M.; Eltamaly, A.M.; Jurado, F. Performance Analysis of a Stand-Alone PV/WT/Biomass/Bat System in Alrashda Village in Egypt. *Appl. Sci.* **2021**, *11*, 10191. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/app112110191

Academic Editor: Amjad Anvari-Moghaddam

Received: 23 September 2021 Accepted: 20 October 2021 Published: 30 October 2021

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connection to the public electric grid, and places that are very remote and cannot be easily connected to the grid due to their distance from basic infrastructure. In such circumstances, the utilization of renewable energies can help these places develop more quickly [2]. The most common methods of generating renewable energy are solar and wind energy solutions. However, it often depends on the area to decide which resources will be used to get the best results. This could include hydropower and/or biomass energy as additional means of producing renewable energy. Hybrid Renewable Energy System stations are generally characterized as a combination of two or more various power sources to supply the electrical power required for the loads, and can be a mixture of either traditional and renewable sources, or only renewable sources [3].

An off-grid power generation system causes reliability issues because of an unavailability of electricity backup from the utility grid. Moreover, solar and wind energy's variable nature causes non-linear and erratic energy production, which leads to a power mismatch where the load requirements of the consumer are not satisfied by the capacity production [4]. To overcome this, a hybrid renewable energy system is used with an energy backup unit to meet consumer demand. Where the energy storage system consists of fuel cells (FCs), batteries (Bats), etc., thereby the wind and solar energy complimentary characteristics are integrated with the energy storage system backup unit to make the system credible and sustainable [5].

Several researchers have introduced popular software-based, classical, and metaheuristic techniques for the unit sizing of hybrid renewable systems. One of the most known of these software programs used for the optimization process is the Multiple Energy Sources Hybrid Optimization Model (HOMER). The authors in [6] utilized the HOMER simulation to study the performance of six different configurations of hybrid systems based on a photovoltaic (PV)/wind turbine (WT)/FC/Bat model. This research paper aims to look at the energy production potential and creation of hydrogen using solar and wind power resources in various regions throughout Saudi Arabia, including Dhahran, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, and Yanbu. The results revealed that integrating PV/WT/Bat storage bank is the optimal option for achieving the lowest energy cost (COE) with 0.609 \$/kWh in the Yanbu area. Ref. [7] investigated a design of a hybrid stand-alone renewable energy model for the Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh using 5 kW PV, 5 kW biomass gasifier generator and a 5 kW fuel cell. The HOMER program was employed for obtaining the optimized results, where the COE of the proposed power system has been found to be 15.064 Rs/kWh and total net present cost (TNPC) Rs. 5189003. Authors in [8] introduced a techno-economic analysis and optimum analysis planning of different configurations of a hybrid renewable energy system based on PV/WT/ diesel generator (DG)/Bat, and converter to meet up with the electric load requirements for a rural area in Dongola, Sudan. This was achieved by studying various layouts of the suggested hybrid system to explore the optimal solution for the lowest NPC and greenhouse gas emissions using the HOMER program. The results evidenced that the construction of the PV/WT/DG/Bat converter unit achieved the best performances for both the TNPC with 24.16 M\$ and COE with 0.387 \$/kWh.

Ajlan et al. [9] examined the feasibility of introducing a micro-grid hybrid system using five alternative energy scenarios (DG-only, PV/DG, WT/DG, PV/WT and PV/WT/DG) for a rural community in the Shafar village, Hajjah province, Yemen. From an environmental and economic standpoint, the results obtained from the HOMER software showed that PV/WT/DG scenario was the optimal hybrid system in CO2 emission reduction with 70%, system cost reduction with 45%, and high system reliability. Dufo-López et al. [10] formulated a new multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) to identify the best feasible way of a stand-alone hybrid power system based on PV/WT/DG/Bat/converter to satisfy the required load in the Tindouf area, Algeria. The main objective functions of this suggested system are to reduce the NPC and maximize both Human Development Index (HDI), as well as job creation (JC).

Antonio et al. [11] evaluated an optimal configuration analysis using HOMER software for an off-grid hybrid system based on PV/BG/hydrokinetic turbines/Bats bank located in Southern Ecuador. Mehran et al. [12] applied the multi-objective crow search algorithm for optimum sizing and the techno-economic analysis of a hybrid system consisting of PV/DG/FCs and batteries. Suresh et al. [13] developed the multi-objective improved genetic algorithm to find the optimal sizing of an off-grid hybrid model for rural areas by considering the minimization of the COE. This proposed system was based on PV/WT/DG/Bat components. Kharrich et al. [14] discussed improving a hybrid system consisting of PV/WT/DG/Bat in the Dakhla area in Morocco by considering the minimization of the NPC. This optimization problem is based on using a novel Equilibrium Optimizer (EO), and the obtained results of this optimizer were compared with the results obtained from the use of the Harris Hawks optimizer (HHO), Artificial Electric Field optimizer (AEFO) Algorithm, GWO Algorithm, and Sooty Tern Optimization Algorithm (STOA).

Ramli et al. [15] developed a multi-objective self-adaptive differential evolution (MOSaDE) technique for the optimal scheduling of a microgrid system composed of PV/WT/DG/Bat for Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. This optimization technique has been used to analyze the COE, LPSP, and the Renewable Factor (RF) simultaneously. Ashraf et al. [16] presented the PV/WT/DG hybrid system as the optimal configuration for providing the required loads with least minimum COE, the total emissions generated, and maximum LPSP in the Gobi Desert in China. The optimized design of the proposed hybrid system is based on a new Elephant Herding Optimization (EHO) algorithm. Diab et al. [17] formed an optimal grid system to reduce the energy cost while satisfying the operational constraints by using a Modified Farmland Fertility Algorithm (MFFA), while the hybrid system is a combination of PV, WT, and FC units as a case study for Ataka region in Egypt.

Geleta et al. [18] proposed and analyzed an optimized sizing of PV/WT/Bat bank hybrid system as the optimal configuration for supplying the needed load with the least COE. The GWO algorithm is the proposed technique used for solving the optimization problem. Shakti and Subhash [19] studied an optimized sizing of an off-grid PV/biomass system compared to grid-connected PV/biomass system. The assessment of various viewpoints of multiple technical and economic performance were made using two optimization techniques, the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) optimization technique and HOMER software. The results showed that the grid-connected model outperformed the off grid model in terms of cost. Bukar et al. [20], determined the optimal hybrid energy system composed of PV/WT/DG/Bat that would fulfill the load required to reliably supply residential housing in Yobe State, Nigeria, based on reducing the COE and LPSP. Optimization of the suggested hybrid power system was done using the grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) and the obtained results were compared with the results obtained from CS, PSO algorithms.

Heydari and Askarzadeh [21], evaluated an approach for optimal sizing of an off grid hybrid system based on PV/biomass in Bardsir, Iran, with objectives of minimizing NPC and the LPSP. This research is focused on utilizing the harmony search (HS) optimization algorithm on modeling the optimal hybrid system. Sarkar et al. [22] analyzed the operational behavior of an optimized hybrid micro-grid consists of PV/WT/biomass/Bat storage unit using the HOMER program to supply the required load of the investigated area in India with least COE, and to ensure zero LPSP. Li et al. [23] addressed the issue of techno-economic optimal design of stand-alone PV/WT/Biomass/Bat hybrid model utilizing HOMER program for a town in West China.

Ghosh et al. [24] discussed the optimal sizing and cost reduction solution for a microgrid hybrid system that both includes PV and biomass. The dragonfly algorithm has been applied to simulate and perform this optimization analysis and the results have been compared with the obtained results from the ABC method. Eteiba et al. [25] evaluated the effect of four optimization techniques (Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA), the HS, ABC, and the Fire-fly Algorithm (FA)) to determine the optimal sizing of an off-grid hybrid PV/biomass/Bat storage system while utilizing the minimization of NPC as the

fitness function for the suggested optimization methods. Sawle et al. [26] presented different optimization strategies based on GA, BFPSO, PSO and Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) to construct an optimal PV/WT/Biomass/Bat hybrid system with different objectives which are COE, LPSP, RF, Particular matter (PM), HDI, JC, and GHG. According to the results, the TLBO technique is an effective tool for dealing with all problem objectives and providing the best solution. Alshammari and Asumadu [27] discussed the optimization of an off-grid hybrid system consisting of PV/WT/biomass/Bat units to supply customers' electrical demands in a cost-effective, efficient, and reliable manner. To determine the optimal solution, two optimization methods were used (HS and PSO techniques). The major objectives of this work are as follows:


The suggested work is structured as follows: Section 2 explains the modeling of the suggested system units. Section 3 discusses the description of the studied area. Section 4 discusses the formulation of the optimization problem. Section 5 discusses a brief explanation of the optimization methodology of HBO, CFA, GWO, and STOA. Section 6 presents the results of the optimal sizing for the stand-alone hybrid power system. Finally, the conclusions are provided in Section 7.

### **2. Modeling of the Proposed System**

The stand-alone hybrid system considered in this paper consists of PV/WT/Biomass/Bat units. The layout of the suggested hybrid model is illustrated in Figure 1. This section explains in detail the description of the major system units and the optimization methodology of the suggested hybrid model.

**Figure 1.** The architecture of the proposed stand-alone hybrid system.
