Performance Evaluation of Supplying Electricity to an Off-Grid Rural Healthcare Center in Egypt Using PVSOL

AbstractAssessments of the techno-economic viability of the solar renewable energy system have been prompted by the frequent price fluctuations of fossil fuels, the environmental release of derivatives produced during fuel combustion, and the incredibly high installation cost of the current conventional photovoltaic energy system. This study reports on the techno-economic performance evaluations of a solar renewable energy system for a rural healthcare facility in Egypt. In this case, a micro-grid solar hybrid photovoltaic system will power a medical facility in Fayoum City. 400 Wp solar panels, a 5 kW bidirectional inverter, Lithium iron phosphate battery, connecting cables, a mounting system, and other accessories make up the open-space PV system. This proposed system is designed using MATLAB/SIMULINK. Modern PV design software, PVSOL Tool, has been used in this study to estimate load requirements and to evaluate the micro-grid system's techno-economic and environmental aspects. The load analysis showed that the chosen healthcare facility needed a 29.5 kW off-grid- solar PV system, with an anticipated net present cost of $13,105 and a levelized cost of energy of $0.0138. The predicted 11.982 MWh of real electricity produced by the PV system over a 25-year period will be more than the Fayoum health complex's electricity use during that time. The national grid or other institutions may purchase the additional 1.743 MWh of electricity generated by the solar system each year. The performance ration of this proposed system is 84%, PV cells efficiency is 19% and solar fraction is 100%. The total CO2 emissions avoided against this proposed system is 474 kg/year. According to the load study, the hybrid PV system may be better than other power sources at supplying electricity for both routine operations and unexpected situations that come up in the daily operations of the healthcare industry. The government and other decision-making stakeholders are anticipated to benefit from the study's findings.