Case study: Feasibility analysis of renewable energy supply systems in a small grid connected resort

This paper presents a case study on the feasibility of a small grid connected resort in the marine west coast climate of Canada to implement a renewable energy supply system. The current industry conditions of three renewable energy systems are explored including small and large wind energy conversion systems, solar photovoltaic cell systems, and energy cell systems. Furthermore, these three systems are evaluated using the power load, wind, and solar radiation information from a specific resort. The renewable energy source assessment and optimization software HOMER (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US) is used to evaluate the costs and benefits of each system. The software evaluates the payback period, the net present cost, and renewable factor of new systems to find the optimal system for the resort. The findings in the case study result in recommendations for the specific resort being tested as well as general recommendations for any small resort interested in implementing a renewable energy system. Furthermore, this paper will help guide small resort owners in simulating and testing, using the HOMER software, renewable energy systems specific to the needs of their resort