Assessing Renewable Energy Potential in Barangay Caruray, San Vicente, Palawan

The location of Bgy. Caruray is situated in such a way that neither the grid of National Power Corporation nor the distribution line of Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) can effectively penetrate, mainly due to its almost impervious roads, terrains, and mountain ranges. This study aimed to determine the most feasible HRES in an off-grid (stand-alone) mode of operation for mainland Caruray by analyzing the load demand profile and the potential sources of renewable energy in the location. For the load demand profile, household surveys revealed an average daily load of 8749 kWh, peaking in the afternoon (peak: 1093 kW) due to residential and productive activities. There were also seasonal spikes in dry months, seasonal variations (826 kW in December vs. 631 kW in September) highlighted the need for flexible dispatch strategies, addressed through hybrid system optimization. Through meteorological analysis, solar (4.81 kWh/m2/day) and wind (5.93 m/s) potential were quantified. Solar peaked in April (5.40 kWh/m2/day), while wind was strongest in January (8.33 m/s), enabling complementary generation to minimize diesel use. The inputs from the survey were critical in producing an optimal HRES configuration where the simulations selected a PV/Wind/Diesel/Battery system as most feasible.