Investigation of the use of a central unique renewable energy system versus distributed units for crop irrigation

Abstract : This paper discusses a comparison study of the use of 100% renewable energy systems for desert and remote areas, investigating both a central unique unit and distributed units. An initial HRES consisting of a photovoltaic (PV) array and wind generator is used to power an agricultural area of 4 ha once with a central unit and then with four distributed units. The selection of the optimal size is accomplished through linear programming based on the simplex algorithm to minimize the total life cycle cost. The results show for the first time that the use of a distributed renewable energy system containing a full PV array is cost-effective compared to a central unit.