Seasonal optimization and analysis of an Off-grid hybrid renewable energy system for a coastal hotel

Abstract

The world is increasingly shifting toward sustainable and renewable energy systems due to limited fossil fuel sources as well as their negative environmental impacts. Remote coastal tourism facilities face additional challenges because of the high fuel transportation and operation costs. This study focuses on a seasonal analysis and optimization of an off-grid hybrid renewable energy system comprising photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and a battery energy storage system designed to supply a large five-star hotel located in Safaga, Egypt. Four advanced metaheuristic optimization techniques are used to minimize the cost of energy while maintaining system reliability. Unlike conventional annual sizing approaches, the proposed analysis evaluates the system on a seasonal basis using hourly load and weather data, and compares the optimization algorithms under the same framework to examine their effect on system sizing and cost performance. The analysis results indicate that Fungal Growth Optimizer (FGO) provides competitive solution quality with satisfactory computational performance compared to the other algorithms and the system achieves its minimum Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of 0.098854 USD/kWh during the summer season and the maximum value of 0.159970 USD/kWh occurs in autumn. In summary, the findings confirm that the proposed sustainable system yields a reliable and cost-effective solution in addition to reducing carbon emissions in the Red Sea region.