Feasibility study to design a Biogas-Photovoltaic hybrid system for electricity generation in vicinity to urban areas in Bangladesh

Abstract: The world´s future energy generation needs to be sustainable without negative impact on people´s health or on our nature. Within present trends to develop energy scenarios with diminishing use of fossil fuels, nuclear power etc. it seems difficult to meet an increasing need for energy. Incorporation of renewable energy sources within the energy sector could mitigate future energy crises in a sustainable way. Bangladesh is a south Asian developing country with great prospects of renewable energy resources. Severe energy crisis such as shortage on electricity generation over the decades is one of the major problems in the country. This problem could be reduced by introducing renewable energy resources at a large-scale within the power sector. Renewable energy sources are increasingly used due to its availability and it has little negative impact on the environment. Solar energy and biomass are great and valuable resources in the green energy field. In this thesis, a feasibility study of a hybrid renewable energy system, HRES, including biogas fueled internal combustion engines, driving an electrical generator and solar PV in vicinity to urban areas in Bangladesh was analyzed using HOMER software. The HRES system was designed for electricity generation in a community near Dhaka city in the Gazipur district where great resources of solar and biomass are available. In the proposed hybrid system, a 40-kW biogas electric generator is integrated with 80 kW of PV panels and the analysis shows an energy price of €0.1435/kWh.