Optimising electrical power supply sustainability using a grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system—an NHS hospital case study

Kahwash, F., Barakat, B., Taha, A. , Abbasi, Q. H. and Imran, M. A. (2021) Optimising electrical power supply sustainability using a grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system—an NHS hospital case study. Energies, 14(21), 7084. (doi: 10.3390/en14217084)

Abstract

This study focuses on improving the sustainability of electrical supply in the healthcare system in the UK, to contribute to current efforts made towards the 2050 net-zero carbon target. As a case study, we propose a grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) for a hospital in the south-east of England. Electrical consumption data were gathered from five wards in the hospital for a period of one year. PV-battery-grid system architecture was selected to ensure practical execution through the installation of PV arrays on the roof of the facility. Selection of the optimal system was conducted through a novel methodology combining multi-objective optimisation and data forecasting. The optimisation was conducted using a genetic algorithm with two objectives (1) minimisation of the levelised cost of energy and (2) CO2 emissions. Advanced data forecasting was used to forecast grid emissions and other cost parameters at two year intervals (2023 and 2025). Several optimisation simulations were carried out using the actual and forecasted parameters to improve decision making. The results show that incorporating forecasted parameters into the optimisation allows to identify the subset of optimal solutions that will become sub-optimal in the future and, therefore, should be avoided. Finally, a framework for choosing the most suitable subset of optimal solutions was presented.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Taha, Dr Ahmad and Abbasi, Professor Qammer and Imran, Professor Muhammad
• Authors: Kahwash, F., Barakat, B., Taha, A., Abbasi, Q. H., and Imran, M. A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Energies
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1996-1073
• Published Online: 29 October 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright: © 2021 by the authors
• First Published: First published in Energies 14(21): 7084
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence