Custom sizing and cost analysis of a PV-battery system: Dual-purpose application for residential load and agricultural water needs
Abstract
This study conducts a technical and economic assessment of a solar water pumping system integrated with an electricity generation system used for a rural house and a farm. For the purpose of application, the location is Bandar-Abbas, a provincial capital in southern Iran. The study incorporates loss of power supply probability (LPSP) and water shortage probability (WSP) concepts along with users’ tolerance levels for shortages. A custom code in MATLAB was developed, taking into account a particular energy usage pattern for a household and an irrigation water usage profile for a small-scale citrus farm. The results emphasize the substantial influence of LPSP and WSP thresholds on the system's size and cost. Notably, it was observed that increasing the LPSP tolerance from 0% to 3% could lower the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by roughly 55% and reduce the WSP by about 36%. Hence, the key factor in such an installation is not technical, but rather human as the tolerance to the risk of service disruption is the key aspect that determines the overall cost, i.e., capital expenditure (CAPEX) and LCOE of a project.