A knowledge-based approach to the design of integrated renewable energy systems

Integrated renewable systems utilize two or more renewable energy resources and end-use technologies to supply a variety of energy needs, often in a stand-alone mode. A knowledge-based design approach that minimizes the total capital cost at a preselected reliability level is presented. The reliability level is quantified by the loss of power supply probability. The procedure includes some resource-need matching based on economics, the quality of energy needed, and the characteristics of the resource. A detailed example is presented and discussed to illustrate the usefulness of the design approach.>