Optimized cost-effective and reliable electricity solutions for remote communities by presenting renewable hybrid microgrid systems

Access to reliable and sustainable electricity in remote areas is essential for socio-economic development. This study develops an optimized hybrid microgrid for Kanur village, India, integrating photovoltaics (PVs), wind turbines (WTs), storage units, inverters, diesel generators (DGs), and micro gas turbines (MGTs) to ensure cost-effectiveness and energy security. To minimize the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), eight advanced optimization algorithms were tested, with Energy Valley Optimization (EVO) achieving the best performance. Four different scenarios were analyzed. Case A included only PVs , storage, and inverters. Case B added WTs , reducing the LCOE to 0.241 $/kWh. Case C introduced DGs , further lowering LCOE to 0.158 $/kWh. The proposed Case D, PV-Storage- Inverter-WT-MGT, configuration achieved the lowest LCOE at 0.149 $/kWh, significantly improving cost-efficiency over PV-only (0.414 $/kWh) and PV-WT (0.241 $/kWh) configurations. MGTs played a crucial role by maintaining energy stability during low renewable generation, contributing 56 kW of backup power. The system investment was 552,618 $, with operation and maintenance costs of 78,523 $. The design eliminated unmet loads and capacity shortages, ensuring continuous power supply and improving grid resilience. Additionally, the emission analysis showed an 86.47 % reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, highlighting the environmental advantages of MGTs over DGs. This study presents a scalable and adaptable microgrid framework, confirming the viability of EVO and MGTs in cost-effective, sustainable rural electrification.