Sizing Multiple Non-Conventional Renewable Sources for Isolated Microgrids

Energy from non-conventional renewable sources is a strategic alternative for diversification of the Brazilian electric matrix. Brazil, given its large territorial extent, geographical diversity and climate, presents a natural complementarity in the energy supply. The North and North-East regions have high energy potential due to the high availability of primary renewable sources, such as solar, wind, and tidal. The availability of these sources has an intermittent feature which adds the need for a storage system 0 ensure uninterrupted service in case of isolated microgrids. This feature of renewable sources makes the process of sizing the microgrid more complex, especially when combining multiple energy sources. This article addresses the problem of sizing non-conventional renewable sources such as wind, solar, and tidal, along with the storage system in an isolated microgrid. Besides, a sensitivity analysis study is carried out to verify the best use of each source and to minimize the total cost of the system.