Optimal Design and Energy Management of a Hybrid Power Generation System Based on Wind/Tidal/PV Sources: Case Study for the Ouessant French Island

International audienceHybrid power generation systems have become a focal point to meet requirements of electric power demand. This kind of system combines several technologies and is considered as one of the appropriate options for supplying electricity in remote areas, such islands, where the electric utility is not available. It is one of the promising approaches due to its high flexibility, high reliability, higher efficiency, and lower costs for the same produced energy by traditional resources. Typically, hybrid power generation systems combine two or more conventional and renewable power sources. They will also incorporate a storage system. This chapter will focus on a typical hybrid power generation system using available renewables near the Ouessant French Island: wind energy, marine energy (tidal current), and PV. This hybrid system is intended to satisfy the island load demand. It will therefore explore optimal economical design and optimal power management of such kind of hybrid systems using different approaches: (1) Cascaded computation (linear programming approach); (2) Genetic algorithms-based approach; (3) Particle swarm optimization. In terms of economical optimization, different constraints (objective functions) will be explored for a given 25 years of lifetime; such as minimizing the Total Net Present Cost (TNPC), minimizing the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCE). The concept of reliability will also be explored to evaluate the hybrid system based on renewables to satisfy the island load requirements. In this chapter, the Equivalent Loss Factor (ELF) is considered