Modular Hybrid Energy System for Refugee Camps

The refugee situation is becoming a major challenge globally. Scenarios leading to refugee crises are increasing and extending for protracted lengths of time. Meeting the basic needs of refugees, especially with regard to energy, is a difficult issue that typically requires anticipatory planning. This work proposes a design for an off-grid hybrid energy system (HES) capable of providing adequate continuous energy for a refugee camp. The design is based on the islanded micro-grid concept allowing for straightforward modular expansion. It is built to address energy requirements for locations with significant annual temperature and climate variations. The HES is comprised of photovoltaic panels, battery-based energy storage, and a backup generator. Specifications and sizing parameters are put forth for the different components including an intelligent dispatch algorithm that mitigates the effects of transitory clouds to provide a consistent stable energy supply. Detailed simulations across different weather conditions and seasons show that the proposed HES reduces generator usage by more than 45% under worst-case conditions. Economic analysis also shows that the proposed system reduces Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) by more than 14% compared to the typical generator-only installation.