Electric–Thermal Sector Coupling with Hybrid Renewables and Storage for Sustainable Rural Energy Systems

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Mazandaran, Behshahr, Iran

2 Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Mazandaran, Behshahr, Iran Technology of Mazandaran, Behshahr, Iran

Abstract

With the increasing importance of electrical energy in daily life, power outages pose serious challenges. Globally, efforts are made to ensure access to electricity for all, especially in rural areas that are often remote. Similar difficulties exist in meeting thermal loads, often addressed through natural gas networks—solutions that are costly and logistically complex. This paper investigates the strategic integration of hybrid renewable energy systems and storage technologies to enable sector coupling, thereby allowing coordinated management of both electrical and thermal loads in rural regions. By utilizing sector coupling, the proposed approach improves energy efficiency, decreases fossil fuel dependence, and supports sustainable development. Thermal load control is employed as an interface between electrical sources and thermal demand, increasing the share of renewables. The study begins by analyzing various off-grid hybrid energy system models and then evaluates the impact of factors such as natural gas prices, system reliability, costs, and emissions. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis on declining battery investment costs is conducted to assess their influence on system economics and renewable penetration. A comparative benchmark using a natural gas generator with heat recovery is also examined to highlight the techno-economic advantages of the proposed system configuration. Results show that deploying off-grid hybrid systems and accepting a degree of reduced reliability can notably increase the contribution of renewables in supplying simultaneous electric and thermal loads. This shift leads to significant reductions in pollutant emissions and fosters sustainable rural development—achieved without the prohibitive expenses tied to expanding electricity and gas infrastructure.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

[1] S. Mandelli, J. Barbieri, R. Mereu, E. Colombo, Off-grid systems for rural electrification in developing countries: Definitions, classification and a comprehensive literature review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 58 (2016) 1621-1646.
[2] F.C. Robert, S. Gopalan, Low cost, highly reliable rural electrification through a combination of grid extension and local renewable energy generation, Sustainable cities and society, 42 (2018) 344-354.
[3] K. Nyarko, T. Urmee, J. Whale, Y. Simsek, Y. Haigh, Assessing the effectiveness of energy policies in accelerating renewable energy-based mini-grid deployment: A case study, Energy for Sustainable Development, 85 (2025) 101631.
[4] P. Pandiyan, R. Sitharthan, S. Saravanan, N. Prabaharan, M.R. Tiwari, T. Chinnadurai, T. Yuvaraj, K. Devabalaji, A comprehensive review of the prospects for rural electrification using stand-alone and hybrid energy technologies, Sustainable energy technologies and assessments, 52 (2022) 102155.
[5] A.S. Irshad, W.K. Samadi, A.M. Fazli, A.G. Noori, A.S. Amin, M.N. Zakir, I.A. Bakhtyal, B.A. Karimi, G.A. Ludin, T. Senjyu, Resilience and reliable integration of PV-wind and hydropower based 100% hybrid renewable energy system without any energy storage system for inaccessible area electrification, Energy, 282 (2023) 128823.
[6] T. Falope, L. Lao, D. Hanak, D. Huo, Hybrid energy system integration and management for solar energy: A review, Energy Conversion and Management: X,  (2024) 100527.
[7] H. Shahbakhsh, M. Osanloo, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction through Integration of Renewable and Non-renewable Energy Sources: A Model for Sangan Iron Ore Mine Complex of Iran, International Journal of Engineering, 38(11) (2025) 2547-2563.
[8] F. Amiri, M. Eskandari, M.H. Moradi, Improved load frequency control in power systems hosting wind turbines by an augmented fractional order PID controller optimized by the powerful owl search algorithm, Algorithms, 16(12) (2023) 539.
[9] A.K. Bansal, Sizing and forecasting techniques in photovoltaic-wind based hybrid renewable energy system: A review, Journal of Cleaner Production, 369 (2022) 133376.
[10] M. Toghyani, A. Saadat, From challenge to opportunity: Enhancing oil refinery plants with sustainable hybrid renewable energy integration, Energy Conversion and Management, 305 (2024) 118254.
[11] A. Shalbafian, F. Amiri, S. Ganjefar, Adaptive Robust Nonlinear Optimal Sliding Mode Control for Wind Turbines: A Hybrid OHAM‐Based Approach to Maximize Power Capture, IET Renewable Power Generation, 19(1) (2025) e70131.
[12] D. Gielen, F. Boshell, D. Saygin, M.D. Bazilian, N. Wagner, R. Gorini, The role of renewable energy in the global energy transformation, Energy strategy reviews, 24 (2019) 38-50.
[13] E. Mohammadian Amiri, S. Ebrahimi, Presenting a Model for Multiple-Step-Ahead-Forecasting of Volatility and Conditional Value at Risk in Fossil Energy Markets, AUT Journal of Modeling and Simulation, 50(1) (2018) 83-94.
[14] S. Backe, M. Korpås, A. Tomasgard, Heat and electric vehicle flexibility in the European power system: A case study of Norwegian energy communities, International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 125 (2021) 106479.
[15] R. Rezaei, M. Ghofranfarid, Rural households' renewable energy usage intention in Iran: Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, Renewable energy, 122 (2018) 382-391.
[16] IRENA, Renewable capacity statistics 2025, 2025.
[17] Global Solar Atlas, in.
[18] M.F.H. Mojumder, T. Islam, P. Chowdhury, M. Hasan, N.A. Takia, O. Farrok, Techno-economic and environmental analysis of hybrid energy systems for remote areas: A sustainable case study in Bangladesh, Energy Conversion and Management: X, 23 (2024) 100664.
[19] P. Roy, J. He, T. Zhao, Y.V. Singh, Recent advances of wind-solar hybrid renewable energy systems for power generation: A review, IEEE Open Journal of the Industrial Electronics Society, 3 (2022) 81-104.
[20] L. Meng, M. Li, H. Yang, Enhancing energy efficiency in distributed systems with hybrid energy storage, Energy, 305 (2024) 132197.
[21] P. Tarassodi, J. Adabi, M. Rezanejad, Energy Management of an Integrated PV/Battery/Electric Vehicles Energy System Interfaced by a Multi-port Converter, International Journal of Engineering, 36(8) (2023) 1520-1531.
[22] A. Kasaeian, P. Rahdan, M.A.V. Rad, W.-M. Yan, Optimal design and technical analysis of a grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic/diesel/biogas under different economic conditions: A case study, Energy Conversion and Management, 198 (2019) 111810.
[23] X. Xu, Z. Zhang, J. Yuan, J. Shao, Design and multi-objective comprehensive evaluation analysis of PV-WT-BG-Battery hybrid renewable energy systems in urban communities, Energy Conversion and Management: X, 18 (2023) 100357.
[24] H. Chanda, E. Mohareb, M. Peters, C. Harty, Environmental and social impacts of self-financed solar PV adoption in rural Zambia: Insights from mopane worms, mushrooms, fishing, bushmeat and ethnomedicine, Energy for Sustainable Development, 85 (2025) 101665.
[25] M. Ranjbar Jaferi, S. Mohammadi, M. Mohammadian, A Novel Intelligent Energy Management Strategy Based on Combination of Multi Methods for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle, AUT Journal of Modeling and Simulation, 46(2) (2014) 31-46.
[26] M. Hosseinzadeh, F. Rajaei Salmasi, Supervisory control of a hybrid AC/DC micro-grid with load shedding based on the bankruptcy problem, AUT Journal of Modeling and Simulation, 48(1) (2016) 3-12.
[27] T. Sarkar, A. Bhattacharjee, H. Samanta, K. Bhattacharya, H. Saha, Optimal design and implementation of solar PV-wind-biogas-VRFB storage integrated smart hybrid microgrid for ensuring zero loss of power supply probability, Energy conversion and management, 191 (2019) 102-118.
[28] A.S. Irshad, N. Kargar, M. Elkholy, G.A. Ludin, S. Elias, A. Hilali, T. Senjyu, M.M. Gamil, G. Pinter, Techno-economic evaluation and comparison of the optimal PV/Wind and grid hybrid system with horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines, Energy Conversion and Management: X,  (2024) 100638.
[29] M.S. Islam, R. Akhter, M.A. Rahman, A thorough investigation on hybrid application of biomass gasifier and PV resources to meet energy needs for a northern rural off-grid region of Bangladesh: A potential solution to replicate in rural off-grid areas or not?, Energy, 145 (2018) 338-355.
[30] M. Bagheri, N. Shirzadi, E. Bazdar, C.A. Kennedy, Optimal planning of hybrid renewable energy infrastructure for urban sustainability: Green Vancouver, Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 95 (2018) 254-264.
[31] A. Heydari, A. Askarzadeh, Optimization of a biomass-based photovoltaic power plant for an off-grid application subject to loss of power supply probability concept, Applied Energy, 165 (2016) 601-611.
[32] K. Murugaperumal, S. Srinivasn, G.S. Prasad, Optimum design of hybrid renewable energy system through load forecasting and different operating strategies for rural electrification, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 37 (2020) 100613.
[33] R.F. Ferreira, R.A.M. Lameirinhas, C.P.C.V. Bernardo, J.P.N. Torres, M. Santos, Agri-PV in Portugal: How to combine agriculture and photovoltaic production, Energy for Sustainable Development, 79 (2024) 101408.
[34] R. Song, T. Hamacher, V. Terzija, V.S. Perić, Potentials of using electric-thermal sector coupling for frequency control: A review, International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 151 (2023) 109194.
[35] M.R. Ghodsi, F. Barati, Performance Assessment of a Laboratory Rooftop PV Plant in Karaj-Iran, International Journal of Engineering, 38(9) (2025) 2104-2113.
[36] A. Khosravani, E. Safaei, M. Reynolds, K.E. Kelly, K.M. Powell, Challenges of reaching high renewable fractions in hybrid renewable energy systems, Energy Reports, 9 (2023) 1000-1017.
[37] M. Karamsima, F. Jahangiri, M. Nourimanzar, Fuzzy Model Reference Adaptive Pitch Control of a Variable Speed Wind Turbine in the Full-load Region, AUT Journal of Modeling and Simulation, 56(2) (2024) 209-218.
[38] V. Fazlollahi, M. Taghizadeh, F. Ayatollah Zade Shirazi, Modeling and neuro-fuzzy controller design of a wind turbine in full-load region based on operational data, AUT Journal of Modeling and Simulation, 51(2) (2019) 139-152.
[39] M. Toghyani, A. Abedi, M. Barahoei, Solar and Wind-Based Hybrid Technologies, in:  Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, Elsevier, 2023.
[40] P. Gipe, Wind energy comes of age, John Wiley & Sons, 1995.
[41] J. Vergara-Zambrano, W. Kracht, F.A. Díaz-Alvarado, Integration of renewable energy into the copper mining industry: A multi-objective approach, Journal of Cleaner Production, 372 (2022) 133419.
[42] J. Yu, L. Guo, M. Ma, S. Kamel, W. Li, X. Song, Risk assessment of integrated electrical, natural gas and district heating systems considering solar thermal CHP plants and electric boilers, International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 103 (2018) 277-287.
[43] A. Kumar, A. Biswas, Techno-economic Optimization of a Stand-alone Photovoltaic-battery Renewable Energy System for Low Load Factor Situation- a Comparison between Optimization Algorithms, International Journal of Engineering, 30(10) (2017) 1555-1564.
[44] X. Li, J. Gao, S. You, Y. Zheng, Y. Zhang, Q. Du, M. Xie, Y. Qin, Optimal design and techno-economic analysis of renewable-based multi-carrier energy systems for industries: A case study of a food factory in China, Energy, 244 (2022) 123174.
[45] H. Pro, Homer Pro 3.14 user manual, Boulder, CO, USA,  (2017).
[46] Energy consumption in Iran, in.
[47] S. Bhattacharjee, A. Dey, Techno-economic performance evaluation of grid-integrated PV-biomass hybrid power generation for rice mill, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 7 (2014) 6-16.
[48] Weather Atlas, in.
[49] S. Bhattacharjee, R. Das, G. Deb, B.N. Thakur, Techno-economic analysis of a grid-connected hybrid system in Portugal Island, Int J Comput Sci Eng, 7 (2019) 1-14.
[50] Y. Basheer, A. Waqar, S.M. Qaisar, T. Ahmed, N. Ullah, S. Alotaibi, Analyzing the Prospect of Hybrid Energy in the Cement Industry of Pakistan, Using HOMER Pro, Sustainability, 14(19) (2022) 12440.
[51] O. Aalde, Hybrid renewable-diesel energy systems in an off-grid arctic community of Svalbard, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2018.
AUT Journal of Electrical Engineering
Volume 58, Issue 1
2026
Pages 167-188

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics