Techno-Economic and Environmental Optimization of a Hybrid PV–Diesel–Battery System for the Faculty of Engineering in Sorman, Libya

Abstract

This paper consolidates three supplied studies addressing the design, simulation, and evaluation of a hybrid renewable-energy system for the Faculty of Engineering in Sorman, Libya The integrated framework combines photovoltaic (PV) generation, battery energy storage (BESS), a diesel generator, bidirectional power conversion, and utility-grid support, with HOMER Pro used for simulation, optimization, and sensitivity analysis. The source studies identify strong solar availability at the site and report a principal optimized configuration comprising a 92.5-kW PV array, a 34-kW autosized diesel generator, 98 strings of 1-kWh lead-acid batteries, and a 38.5-kW converter. For the reported simulation case, annual generation is 158,558 kWh, including 155,868 kWh from PV and 2,689 kWh from the generator, with 0% unmet electrical load and 36,080 kWh/year of excess electricity, The reported renewable fraction is 97.7%. The supplied studies also contain alternative design values, including a 200-kW PV case, 40 battery strings, and a 25-kW converter; these are retained as alternative source scenarios rather than silently merged with the primary optimization case. Because the source documents contain inconsistencies in load-audit values and economic indicators, the manuscript explicitly identifies these data-quality limitations and treats the numerical HOMER outputs as model-dependent results requiring validation before implementation