Optimization and feasibility analysis of hybrid standalone renewable energy systems for rural electrification in Chamoli, Uttarakhand

Electricity access is often a persistent challenge in remote rural areas of developing countries because of high costs and logistical difficulties in extending the national grid. This work will investigate optimizing a hybrid standalone renewable energy system to provide a sustainable and adequate power supply to dispersed villages in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. Integrating locally available renewable resources includes solar, wind, biomass, and biogas. In this work, an HSRES model will be developed using HOMER Pro software and Harris Hawk Optimization to optimize the sizing and cost of the system. The proposed HSRES model significantly reduces NPC and COE in traditional fossil fuel-based systems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating environmental degradation. The optimized values of NPC and COE are 1,024,323 $ and 0.219 $/kWh. The HHO technique provides better results than the Homer Pro technique, as the NPC of the hybrid system is 0.25% less than that obtained in the case of the HHO technique. The work highlights the economic viability, ecological benefits, and social impacts of the HSRES model as it improves living standards and creates job opportunities, which contribute to economic growth in remote areas. It shows how the complementarity of the different renewable energy sources makes the HSRES model replicable for rural electrification worldwide.