Renewable Energy Based Microgrid Scheme for Greener Ship: Evaluation through Techno-Economic Performance Analysis

To address the growing energy crisis and environmental pollution, it’s crucial to explore new energy sources for ships. The current study describes the feasibility of a renewable energy based microgrid system i.e., photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine with battery storage system for maritime transportation. An economic and technical evaluation of renewable energy-based configurations is evaluated through Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) software tool. The study reveals that the Wind/ battery /PV system is the most optimum among the studied microgrid system for the designed loading demands as it offers less net present cost (NPC) and breakeven cost of energy (COE). However, BAT/PV scheme generates the highest amount of electrical energy, almost 86.7% produced excess energy. Overall, Wind/Battery/PV renewable-based system has emerged as a promising solution for sustainable ships and has generated significant interest from both industry and academia.