Enhancement of the energy management strategy of a stand-alone hybrid system based on battery storage using grey wolf optimiser

Purpose Stand-alone hybrid energy systems (SHES) based on renewable generation technologies, such as wind turbines and solar photovoltaics, provide an economical, clean and reliable solution for serving consumers in remote areas. In this study, the role of battery energy storage in enhancing the energy management strategies of these systems is investigated. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates a SHES that integrates renewable energy sources, a battery storage unit and a diesel generator to meet household electricity demand at three sites in Malaysia: Johor, Kedah and Pahang. Optimisation of the system's size is performed using a grey wolf optimiser implemented in MATLAB. Findings Incorporating diesel generator runtime enhances battery utilisation and reduces fossil fuel dependence. Annual CO2 emissions decrease to 6,698 kg/year in Johor, 7,025 kg/year in Kedah and 6,395 kg/year in Pahang and compared with 10,425 kg/year, 9,985 kg/year and 9,837 kg/year under the classical energy management strategy. The grey wolf optimiser also outperforms ant lion and moth-flame algorithms. Research limitations/implications The practical constraints such as fuel cost, interest rate, battery cost and battery degradation under interannual weather variations should be considered in future studies. Originality/value The outstanding value of this research is to enhance the performance of SHES by maximising the role of the battery in the energy management strategy. Unlike numerous studies, this research integrates diesel generator runtime as a decision variable in the energy management strategy, improving the coordination between battery storage and diesel operation.