Design and Analysis of a Standalone Hybrid Microgrid for Agricultural Irrigation Using Solar and Diesel Energy Sources

Abstract

Agricultural irrigation requires a reliable and continuous energy supply, particularly in rural and remote regions where grid availability is limited or inconsistent. Traditional irrigation systems largely depend on diesel generators, which lead to high fuel costs, operational expenses, and environmental pollution. To address these challenges, this study proposes a stand-alone hybrid microgrid system integrating solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, diesel generators, and battery energy storage for agricultural irrigation applications. In the proposed system, solar PV acts as the primary energy source, converting solar energy into electrical power for irrigation pumps. A Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technique is employed to maximize solar energy extraction under varying environmental conditions. Battery storage is incorporated to store excess solar energy and provide backup power during night-time or low solar irradiance. The diesel generator functions as a secondary source to ensure uninterrupted operation when renewable energy is insufficient. The system is modeled and analyzed using MATLAB/Simulink to evaluate performance under varying load and weather conditions. Results indicate that the hybrid microgrid significantly reduces diesel fuel consumption, operational costs, and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining reliable irrigation power supply, making it a sustainable solution for rural agricultural energy systems.

Introduction

The text discusses the high energy demand of agriculture, especially for irrigation, which often relies on diesel generators in rural and developing regions due to unreliable grid electricity. While diesel systems provide dependable power, they are expensive to operate and produce significant greenhouse gas emissions, making them environmentally unsustainable. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are introduced as a cleaner and more affordable alternative, but they are limited by their dependence on sunlight and weather conditions, making them unsuitable as a standalone solution for continuous irrigation.

To address these limitations, the proposed solution is a hybrid microgrid system that combines solar PV, diesel generators, and battery energy storage. In this system, solar energy serves as the primary power source, batteries store excess energy for use during low sunlight or nighttime, and diesel generators act as backup during peak demand or insufficient renewable generation. An energy management system (EMS) and Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technology are used to optimize power generation, improve efficiency, and minimize diesel fuel consumption.

The system is designed as a microgrid that can operate independently in rural agricultural areas, improving reliability and sustainability. Compared to existing diesel-only or standalone solar systems, the hybrid approach reduces fuel costs, lowers emissions, and ensures continuous power supply for irrigation. The design and performance of the system are modeled and tested using simulation tools like MATLAB/Simulink and HOMER.

Conclusion

With the use of solar energy and DG generators, agriculture irrigation can readily satisfy their energy needs. For these buildings, using battery backup becomes vital when the required power output surpasses the daily consumption. Emerging as a massive source of readily usable energy, The development of alternative energy sources, such as wind, hydropower, and wave energy, is significantly aided by solar power. A significant portion of the earth\'s surface receives enough sun radiation, even in the face of significant latitude variations, to enable low-grade heating of buildings and water. This work created an improved power strategy to govern a combination of renewable energy sources that includes a diesel generator. We have made the decision to use an off-grid hybrid PV, diesel, and battery renewable energy system to put our management strategy into practice. Every single part of the system, including the battery store system, PV solar array, and diesel generator, was covered in detail. The constituent elements have been used to create mathematical models. The MPPT controller has output power, voltage, and current to the PV system model. The batteries are linked to a model that determines the charge shift condition when charging or discharging, determines the number of battery life periods utilised, and takes into consideration the battery\'s capacity evolution following gradual degradation. The amount of charging current utilised is estimated by the model. The diesel generator idea has concentrated on calculating the amount of diesel fuel consumed during engine operation. Prior to the development of the battery management approach, We have determined the requirements and rules that the approach must adhere. An instance has been chosen and its hybrid plant has been sized in order to replicate the management approach on an actual base electrical power in a hybrid solar energy system. This extends the battery\'s life and guards against damage by enabling charging and discharging the battery when necessary and in a manner that takes capacity loss into account. We concentrated on optimising the plan by adjusting a few factors. We used the system\'s cost to operate per day as a useful indication in our comparison optimisation to evaluate the management method. The lowest permitted value for the state of charge was the first parameter to be optimised. Our system operates under both constant and variable settings; the lowest operating cost was at separate parameters, such the quantity of diesel generators and batteries in the system, can be researched and discussed in separate studies. In conclusion, putting into practice a successful battery management strategy can enhance the efficiency and dependability of an environmentally friendly hybrid system, reduce operating costs by extending battery life, and reduce investment costs by reducing the number of batteries required to attain the same degree of efficiency and dependability.

References

[1] Q. Hassan, S. Jaszczur, and M. Abdulateef, “A review of hybrid renewable energy systems: Solar and wind-powered solutions—Challenges, opportunities and policy implications,” Results in Engineering, vol. 18, pp. 100–118, 2023. [2] M. Uddin, A. A. B. Abu-Siada, and M. F. Romlie, “Microgrids: A review, outstanding issues and future trends,” Energy Strategy Reviews, vol. 47, pp. 101042, 2023. [3] J. Lata-García, J. Reyes-Lopez, and J. Jurado, “Optimization and evaluation of a stand-alone hybrid system (solar, biomass, diesel generator, and battery) for rural electrification,” Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 20, pp. 9012, 2024. [4] D. Yamegueu, A. Azoumah, and X. Py, “Improving the performance of PV/diesel microgrids through energy management strategies: Rural African case studies,” Energy, Sustainability and Society, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2024. [5] W. Wang, Y. Liu, and H. Zhang, “Techno-economic assessment of PV–diesel–battery hybrid energy systems for agricultural applications,” Energy Reports, vol. 11, pp. 120–134, 2025. [6] R. G. Mohamed, M. A. Tolba, and A. M. Azmy, “A modified energy management strategy for PV–diesel hybrid microgrid systems using predictive optimization,” Scientific Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 87716, 2025. [7] J. C. León Gómez, “Review of hybrid renewable energy systems: Architectures, battery systems and optimization techniques,” Clean Energy Research, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 84–101, 2023. [8] S. Jamal, M. S. Alam, and A. Hussain, “Rule-based energy management system optimized using genetic algorithms for hybrid renewable energy systems,” Scientific Reports, vol. 14, pp. 54333, 2024. [9] A. S. Aziz, A. Eladl, and M. T. Elsheikh, “Techno-economic evaluation of off-grid PV/diesel/battery hybrid energy systems using foresight dispatch,” Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, vol. 52, pp. 102164, 2022. [10] M. A. Omar, “Opportunities for corporate investment in PV, battery, and diesel hybrid microgrid systems,” Energy Policy, vol. 182, pp. 113844, 2024. [11] M. Bilal, S. M. Muyeen, and M. J. Hossain, “Hybrid optimization algorithm for sustainable design and sizing of standalone microgrids,” Results in Engineering, vol. 20, pp. 102007, 2025. [12] T. Michael, J. Okello, and P. Ssemakula, “Design and optimization of PV–battery–diesel hybrid systems for island electrification: A systematic review,” KIU Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 45–62, 2025. [13] Dr. Jayeshkumar Pitroda, Lalakiya Biraj, Naghera Dhiraj, Narodiya Jay, Patel Harsh, “A Critical Literature Review on Benefits Due to Passive Solar Energy System in Educational Building”, International Journal of Constructive Research in Civil Engineering (IJCRCE), Volume 2, Issue 5, 2016. [14] Deepak Purohit, Goverdhan Singh, Udit Mamodiya, “A Review Paper on Solar Energy System”, International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, Volume 5, Issue 5, September-October 2017. [15] Qianwen Xu, Jianfang Xiao, Peng Wang, Xuewei Pan, Changyun Wen, Sakshi Gupta, Neha Sharma, “A Decentralized Control Strategy for Autonomous Transient Power Sharing and State-of-Charge Recovery in Hybrid Energy Storage Systems”, IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Vol. 8, No. 4, October 2017. [16] Yanzhi Wang, Xue Lin, Massoud Pedram, “Integrating Residential Photovoltaic (PV) Power Generation and Energy Storage Systems into the Smart Grid”, IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2016. [17] Sanjeevikumar, P.; Grandi, G.; Blaabjerg, F.; Wheeler, P.; Hammami, M.; Siano, P., “Control Strategies for High Output Voltage DC-DC Boost Power Converter”, International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems (IJCIS), 2018. [18] Hemanshu, R.; Hossain, M.J.; Mahmud, M.A.; Gadh, R., “Control for Microgrids with Inverter Connected Renewable Energy Resources”, IEEE PES General Meeting, 2019. [19] WESSOF, E., “Global Installed PV Capacity Leaps to 303 Gigawatts”, Green Tech Media, April 2017. [20] TSAGAS, I., “Spain Approves ‘Sun Tax’, Discriminates Against Solar PV”, Renewable Energy World, October 2018. .

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Bhagyashri Meshram, Prof. Gaurav Karlekar, Prof. V. M. Pimpalkar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.