Title: A review of renewable hybrid power plant technologies: a concept for improving the performance of hybrid solar-biogas power plants

Authors: Ayman Abdul Karim Alhijazi; Ahmad Firas Alloush

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, College of Mechanical Engineering, Idlib University, Idlib, Syria ' Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, College of Mechanical Engineering, Idlib University, Idlib, Syria

Abstract: This paper inspects the latest approaches and provides an overall review of the main studies on modelling and simulating hybrid renewable power plants in several locations worldwide, and exposes the common simulation software that may be used for designing and assessing hybrid power plants. So, the study's limitations include hybrid renewable power plants which use numerous renewable energy sources. The study's key goals include: 1) introducing a new classification method for renewable hybrid power plants; 2) investigated the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and factors affecting it; 3) renewable share ratios in various hybrid renewable power plants with different configurations; 4) suggesting a concept for improving renewable hybrid power plants' performance with practical experience. The author experimented to produce biogas through five digesters at five different temperatures under the same conditions, which might be used as a reference for condensing temperature in the Rankin cycle. The actual average recorded temperatures were 33.17°C, 37.5°C, 43.52°C, 45.87°C, and 49.6°C. The maximum biogas volume was produced at 43.52°C; however, the suitable heating temperature must be investigated according to the changing efficiency of the Rankine cycle and the production of biogas.

Keywords: energy technologies; renewable power plants; hybrid power plants; modelling software; levelised cost of electricity; LCOE; performance improving; solar energy; biogas.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETP.2024.141394

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy, 2024 Vol.19 No.3/4, pp.231 - 260

Received: 05 Oct 2023
Accepted: 09 Jul 2024
Published online: 10 Sep 2024 *

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