Hybrid renewable energy systems for sustainable power supply in remote location: Techno-economic and environmental assessment

• Techno-economic investigations are conducted for eleven HRES combinations. • Detailed LCA-based environmental assessment is performed for all combinations. • Lowest LCOE (0.319 $/kWh) is obtained for the system comprising PV/WT/BAT/CONV/DG. • Diesel generator in HRES greatly impacts global warming, ozone, and fossil scarcity. Electricity supply is inconsistent and unreliable in many remote areas of India, where depending solely on a single renewable energy source is impractical. In this context, this study investigates the potential of off-grid hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) to meet the energy needs of a village community in India. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment have been employed to compare eleven HRES combinations which combine photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), battery (BAT), diesel generator (DG), biogas generator (BG), converter (CONV), and electrolyser (ELEC). By optimising the size and capacity of each component in HRES, this study aims to identify the combination with the lowest levelised cost of electricity (LCOE). This research aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 7 to seek “Affordable and Clean Energy”. The findings highlight that HRES comprising PV/WT/BAT/CONV/DG exhibits the lowest LCOE (0.319 $/kWh) and net present cost (6.81 M$) among all combinations. In systems with partial reliance on diesel, integrating both PV and WT could reduce diesel consumption and increase the renewable fraction to 87.4 %. For HRES involving PV, a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions occurs during the construction stage. The WT/DG combination, with its high diesel dependency, has the largest global warming potential. The efforts from this study provide valuable insights into determining the optimal HRES for remote communities by considering their economic and environmental factors.