Standalone Energy System for a Remote Fishing Island in Sri Lanka

The study presents the design and evaluation of the feasibility of a sustainable electricity generation system for Buththalangunduwa, a small island situated in Portugal Bay, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka. It is a remote fishing island of about 5 km2 with a population of about 3,000. Fishing and production of dried fish is the main livelihood. A privately-owned diesel generator provides an erratic power supply. Kerosene is predominantly used for lighting and cooking. The proposed project would serve electricity needs in households, a water purification plant and for fish preservation. A combination of solar, wind and Li-ion battery storage is proposed. HOMER-PRO software was used to optimize the system. The optimum system consists of 847 kW of solar PV and 400 kW of wind turbines together with 400 kWh capacity of Li-ion battery storage. Final levelized cost of energy is $0.138 per kWh, which is more competitive compared with the present practice of using fossil fuels