Load modelling influence at sizing of offgrid hybrid renewable energy systems

Energy is essential all areas of life today. The energy need has been rising rapidly because of growing population and increase in usage of energy based technological devices. In this century people have focused on efficiency and sustainability. As a result renewable energy has gained importance. The widely used renewable energy systems consist of hydroelectric turbines, solar panels and wind turbines. Solar panels and wind turbines are the most effected ones from the development of energy production techniques in recent years, have been used widely in Turkey and in the world for a long time. Other renewable systems such as biomass and tide are not conventionale and do not have common usage. Supply demand balance in energy had caused alternative searchings; in parallel with growing needs and rising interests about renewable energy, researches have been increasing in this field. Within the scope of this thesis, researches have been done about offgrid renewable energy systems; sizing of a hybrid solar and wind system has been analysed. Because supplying energy from renewable sources is a requisite, firstly questions should be answered about this energy which is defined as load. Within the context of this thesis it is aimed to answer those questions about load by adding new ones. Acquiring load model can be done with various methods. Data could be requested from energy supplier companies' databases. In addition to this load profile could be estimated from approximate installed capacity where the hybrid system will be installed. When solar panel and wind turbine prices have taken into consideration, overparametrization at sizing have an important effect on cost. Also underparametrization can cause power outages in offgrid systems although there are no major difference in ongrid systems. Especially power storage gain importance in offgrid state and sizing becomes more important. By monitoring user habitudes and routines, accuracy of system sizing may increase. If the system is offgrid, gathering information by monitoring can cause a paradox. To monitor user it is required to use energy; to use energy it is required to have a sized system. User's recent energy usage habitudes can be monitored or declaration of usage can be used to make calculations. Advantages and disadvantages about sizing of the load from monitoring or declaration methods has been researched. The load data which has been used as reference for analysis, gathered from a house in İzmit Kocaeli. For 6 months, minutely average power has been measured in this house. To make daily, weekly, monthly and further analysis of load and to use it in the simulation, measured data has been processed. All the gathered data are used to generate forming of annual consumption profiles in several scenerios. It is aimed to find most efficient way to acquire load model and to search influence of load modelling method to system sizing. The HOMER Hybrid Optimization Modeling Software has been user for simulations.