HOMER program simulation model

PRZEGLĄD ELEKTROTECHNICZNY, ISSN 0033-2097, R. 97 NR 9/2021 141 
Fig. 6 A flowchart of HOMER simulation process
 
Fig. 7 HOMER Schematic for grid connected model (on-grid) 
Fig. 8 HOMER Schematic for standalone model (off-grid) 
The hybrid power model designed in the HOMER program is 
shown in Fig. 7 & Fig. 8 respectively. This model consists of 
Generic 3 kW wind turbine, Generic PV flat plate, electronic 
converter, Generic Li-ion 1kWh battery and residential load. 
Optimization analysis 
HOMER simulates all the achievable solutions for the 
system, then shows a list of all feasible system patterns 
planned gradually from lowest to highest in NPC (Net 
Present Cost) and excludes all the infeasible configurations. 
HOMER use a proprietary derivative-free algorithm to 
exploration for the optimum solution among all these 
feasible systems. The least NPC is the optimum design for 
the system [18],[19],[20]. 
Many researchers have utilized HOMER for analyzing 
[21],[22],[23],[24]. Analysis with HOMER needs a wide 
range of data on renewable resources, energy storage 
systems, control algorithms and economic restrictions. The 
evaluation criteria of the HOMER assessment are the Net 
Present Cost (NPC) and the Cost of Energy (COE). The 
COE is defined in HOMER as the mean cost/kWh of 
valuable power generated by the system. To compute the 
value of COE, Homer program will divide the yearly cost of 
electricity production by the beneficial generated electricity. 
the COE can be calculated by the relation in the following 
equation (6): 
(6) 
,
/
,
,
,
Where (E
grid,sales
) is the overall sold energy from the grid 
in(kWh/year), (E
prim,DC
) is the DC primary load served in 
(kWh/year), (E
prim,AC
) is the AC primary load served 
in(kWh/year) and (C
ann,tot
) is the overall yearly cost in 
($/year). 
The total NPC is calculated in HOMER using the relation 
in the following equation (7), where (C
ann,tot 
) is the overall 
yearly cost in ($/year), (CRF) is the capital recovery factor, 
(R
proj
) the project lifetime in year, (i) the interest rate %, 
While the (CRF) is calculated by the equation (8) [11].
(7) 
,
,
(8) 
( + 1)
(  + 1)
In order to calculate the optimal cost, the model has been 
configured to simulate the same electrical load with the off-
grid and on-grid design.
Table 1. The Data Input for Proposed Model. 
Inputs PV 
1kW 
Wind 
Turbine 
Li-ion 
Battery 
(167Ah) 
Converter 
1kW 
Capital Cost 
500 $ 
5000 $ 
100 $ 
200 $ 
Replacement Cost 
400 $ 
4400 $ 
80 $ 
160 $ 
Operation & 
Maintenance 
8 $ 
10 $ 
1 $ 
1 $ 
Lifetime 25 
year 
25 year 
- 
25 year 
Hub Height 
- 
17m 
- 
- 
Efficiency 
13 % 
- 
- 
95 % 
Derating Factor 
80 % 
- 
- 
- 
Operating 
temperature 
47°C - 
- 
- 
Initial SOC 
- 
- 
100 % 
- 
Minimum SOC 
- 
- 
20 % 
- 
Nominal Voltage 
- 
- 
6 V 
- 
Nominal Capacity 
- 
- 
1 kwh 
- 
Maximum Capacity 
- 
- 
167 Ah 
- 

142 PRZEGLĄD ELEKTROTECHNICZNY, ISSN 0033-2097, R. 97 NR 9/2021 
Fig. 9 Capital & Replacement cost curve for the Li-ion battery. 
A Generic PV flat panel is utilized, these photovoltaic 
panels are flat plate builds by Generic, the wind unit is an 
A.C Generic 3 KW, also a generic lithium-ion battery has 
been utilized with a nominal capacity of 1 kWh, and a 
generic converter this is important to supports the hybrid 
system design in off-grid configuration. From observing the 
cost curve in Fig. 9, it is clear that varying the amount of 
batteries will affect the cost, which will ultimately affect the 
total NPC. 
The grid model unit is a local grid with 10kW capacity, 
power rate definition is 0.1$\kWh and sellback rate of 
0.05$\kWh, when there is power shortage, the grid provides 
electricity to achieve a load request. Further, it receives 
electrical power when excessive energy is available. 

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