Solar energy solution for small autonomous islands

Solar energy is an inexhaustible and clean energy resource. Greek islands possess high solar energy potential, but they still cover their electric energy needs mainly using thermal power stations or interconnections with sub-marine cables with larger islands. This situation results in low-quality energy needs fulfilment with high electricity generation cost and degradation of the environment mainly due to the CO2 emissions. The significant exploitation of the available solar potential is practically limited by the dynamic stability of local weak electrical networks. For this purpose, the introduction of energy storage and demand side management is a challenging option. Thus, to bypass the above-mentioned constraints and to secure a more sustainable electricity supply status, the concept of combining photovoltaic (PV) power stations and energy storage systems comprises a promising solution for small-scaled autonomous electrical networks. This paper presents a complete methodology able to define the optimum size of an autonomous power electrical generation system with maximum solar energy penetration, calculating the required dimensions of the photovoltaic installation combined with the necessary capacity of the storage system. Ideally, zer o energy production from the thermal power system is the target, but other factors, such us high initial investment cost and maximum system reliability should be also taken into account. In this context, the main idea of the current work is to provide a concise methodology, based on real world data, able to determine an optimal electrification solution of small non-interconnected islands, based on solar energy exploitation and energy storage utilization, in order to minimize the electricity generation cost and the corresponding greenhouse emissions supporting also the energy supply security of the local community.