Harnessing the power of Renewables

Hassan Meeshag, Ismail Saudhulla, Ismail Mohamed, Abdul Matheen Abdul Rahman
Electrical Electronic Department, Villa Collage Maldives
Abstract
• Electrification to small island communities with limited or no access to
the grid is one of the major challenges faced by developing island nations
such as Maldives.
• The current issues with climate change and rising fuel prices have made
the search for an optimal and a cleaner solution for the problem of
electrification, vital for most Maldivians. By combining the available
natural resources with the existing diesel fuel generators, an optimal
hybrid energy system can be utilized. This report aims to analyze the
possibilities of implementing a hybrid energy system on the island of
Nolhivaranfaru located in Thiladhummathi atoll.
• This island serves as an example to a typical island in Maldives. This
report uses HOMER software to develop various possible systems
including PV, wind and diesel components and optimizes them to provide
the most cost and energy efficient systems. By providing a range of data,
the software determines a techno-economically feasible system, and a
sensitivity analysis is carried out with respect to the variables concerning
solar irradiance, wind speed and diesel fuel prices.
• The output of this simulation suggests that the most feasible system for
the island of Nolhivaranfaru is a PV/diesel hybrid system compared to the
others.
Introduction

• Maldives is a country of small low-lying islands with a population of

540,000 people. Climate change and global warming are causing economic
and environmental problems for the country. The capital city is Male' and is
one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Most of the population
lives on small islands with a land area ranging from 0.5-5 km2. The lack of
Nolhivaranfaru
space in Male' makes it impossible to establish a HES, and the (6˚41.8’N, 73˚7.3E)
implementation of diesel generators becomes inefficient for outer islands due 1854 inhabitants
to rising fuel prices and electricity demand. Nolhiavaranfaru, an outer island
in the South Thiladhunmathi Atoll, has high potential for HES.
• The most prosperous and cleanest approach in meeting the energy demand
has been relying on renewable energy sources such as solar, tidal, wind,
geothermal etc2 but, these renewable energy resources are unavailable at all
times throughout the year which result in the development of hybrid energy
systems (HES)1.
• Hybrid energy systems consist of one renewable and paired with one
conventional energy source or more than one renewable energy source along
with or without a conventional energy source.
• The most important feature in HES is its ability to provide a higher
efficiency with the combination of renewable energy sources compared to a
single power source2.
Feasible solutions

• For most of the outer islands (islands not involving

the capital city, Male’), analysis on HOMER in most
of the literatures suggest that 100% renewable energy
systems are not optimal in Maldives due to the
monsoon periods and variations in solar and wind
energy resources.
• Alternatively, a wind-diesel hybrid or a solar-diesel
hybrid system is more economically feasible. This is
because of these systems provide electricity at a
lower cost compared to the base case which only
utilizes diesel fuel generators at lower efficiencies in
outer islands3.
 • Solar Direct Normal Irradiance

Meteorological
• Hanimaadhoo is an island situated to the south of Nolhivaranfaru and is in the same atoll.
• The DNI of both islands are approximately the same with minor differences since they are
only about 9km apart from each other. Figure 10 demonstrates the DNI of Hanimaadhoo

data
where the solid black line represents the average daily sum of DNI over a period of 18
years with its maximum and minimum peaks.
• The solid red line represents the variation in DNI during the year 2017.
Wind
Resources
• The average monthly
wind speed on the island
of Nolhivaranfaru from
the year 1984 to 2013 is
plotted against time as
shown in figure.
• The annual average wind
speed during this period is
approximately 5.01m/s.
Temperature
Resources
• The average monthly air
temperatures against time
in the island of
Nolhivaranfaru between
1984 and 2013 is
illustrated in figure. The
annual average
temperature during this
period is 27.60˚C.
Methodology
• This includes three main tasks; research, simulation and analysis. The research
phase consisted of reading past case studies and the general concept behind HES.
Once an adequate amount of research was done on the general overview, a
location was selected the island of Nolhivaranfaru was selected and further
research was carried out.
• Based on previous case studies, a design was proposed, and the simulation was
initiated. Three main factors were taken into consideration when determining the
appropriate system for the island;
• Costs of the components
• Electric load
• Availability of natural resources (wind and solar)
• By observing the effect of altering these factors, a final design was established,
and the analysis began. During the analysis, different parameters were compared
to obtain a feasible result.
• After comparing the economics and analyzing the system which lowers the most
amount of GHG emissions, a winning system was finalized.
 Conclusion

• This report has allowed me to understand the potential of obtaining energy from
renewable resources in Maldives. If hybrid systems such as the one discussed in this
report is established in at least one atoll, it can have a significant impact on the
economy and the community in Maldives.
• This is because a significant number of Maldivians immigrate to the city due to the
availability of jobs, education and an overall better living standard.
• The reduction in electricity pricing will result in a lower cost of living which would
ultimately lead to a reduction in the costs of housing, transport etc.
• Hybrid renewable energy systems can offer numerous benefits to small island
communities, including reliable and cost-effective energy, reduced reliance on fossil
fuels, and income generation opportunities.
• However, these systems can also present challenges, including high capital costs,
unpredictable availability of renewable energy sources, and the need for energy storage
systems.
• In order to ensure the successful implementation of a hybrid renewable energy system,
it is important to consider the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of the
system, and to ensure that the system is properly installed, operated, and maintained.
 • K. Shivarama Krishna and K. Sathish Kumar, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2015,
10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.187
• S. Turkdogan, "Design and optimization of a solely renewable based hybrid energy system for residential
electrical load and fuel cell electric vehicle", 2020.
• K. van Alphen, W. van Sark and M. Hekkert, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2007,

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