Techno-economic analysis of multiple paralleled diesel generators for micro isolated applications

Abstract

This paper analyses the key benefits of a multiple paralleled diesel generator system over a "Single" diesel generator system for supplying small remote and isolated loads. Even though having several small diesel generators in parallel instead of one larger one will certainly induce higher capital cost of the generating unit, the resulting cost of kWh generated as well as the system is life cycle cost can be significantly decreased . In this study, HOMER Pro software is used to compare the technical, economic and environmental performance of the two configurations. For the selected case study, the simulation results reveal that multiple connected small diesel generators instead on a single large one can be considered for rural and isolated electricity generation.