Proposal for Renewable Energy Systems for Isolated Residential Houses

In this study, different hybrid systems based on renewable energies are modeled to cover the energy demands of isolated residential houses on the Canary Islands. The study will cover the energy requirements of a residential house, including fresh water production with a reverse osmosis desalination plant. The system will be designed to be uncoupled from the electrical grid. The tool used to model and optimize the hybrid systems was the HOMER software. The data input to the model were the electrical demand of residential homes (including the consumption of the small reverse osmosis desalination plant) and the technical specifications of the different devices and renewable energies, such as solar radiation and wind speed potentials. The software considers different arrangements to optimize hybrid systems, selecting the best configuration based on the renewable energy sources at the selected location. The data used in the research were taken on the eastern islands of the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura). The knowledge from this research could be applied to other geographical areas of the world that have similar conditions, namely a shortage of water and plentiful renewable energy sources.