Methodology for designing stand-alone wind-PV community electrification projects considering technical and social constraints

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology to design stand-alone electrification systems based on wind and photovoltaic technologies, which combines individual systems and microgrids, and considers technical and social requirements of the community and its population. The methodology starts with some assessments to identify the community to electrify and guides through the whole decision-making until the most appropriate solution is chosen. The design is organized in three decision levels, ordered according to the importance of the decisions taken: the cost is faced to the demand (level 1), to the management of the system (level 2), and to the security of supply (level 3). Each level is divided in two steps: first a set of electrification alternatives is generated and then the most appropriate is selected, based on economical, technical and social criteria. Moreover, two iterative procedures allow adjusting the decisions taken when going in-depth into the problem. Finally the methodology is validated by two experts that have designed the electrification system of two real communities. It is concluded that the methodology is suitable to assist rural electrification promoters in developing countries, allowing the study of many design options, and obtaining solutions that match up end users’ preferences and include social benefits that strongly compensate the slight cost increases.