Design and Simulation of Grid-Tied Power Supply System Using HOMER: A Case Study of Lebowakgomo in South Africa

In South Africa (SA), the majority of urban and some rural households are electrified through the use of the national grid networks, and these systems experience load shedding and power interruptions. Renewable energy sources (RES) integration into the power synthesis could be the best solution for world electricity problems. In this study, RES like solar and wind with battery systems are used as supplementary energy sources to support the grid during power interferences and disturbances. This study aims to design and simulate a grid-connected hybrid microgrid power network for the Lebowakgomo community in Limpopo province, SA. The design and simulation of grid-connected microgrid system architecture were performed by HOMER software. The results achieved show that the grid-tied hybrid microgrid power network has the capability of electrifying and sustaining the load demand of the township. The study results reveal that the proposed microgrid configuration's cost of energy (COE) and net present cost (NPC) remain lesser than other feasible power systems for related load profiles. The Grid/PV/Wind/Battery/Converter is the greatest cost-effective and environmentally friendly system architecture that has a low NPC, low COE, and low operating cost (OC) (R6,583,640, R0.1511, R2,919 respectively). This optimal system architecture have high renewable energy fraction (RF) and produce less carbon emissions when compared to other cases. As a result, it is more financially feasible to join PV/wind systems with the national network than other off-grid power systems.