Unlocking the Renewable Energy Potential: A Comprehensive Study of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region

This paper presents a study on a small-scale hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. The purpose is to model and analyze the system's energy performance under different weather conditions. Real environmental data collected in 2016 at Dhahran city is used to determine the annual average energy generated by the renewable sources in the system. In addition, the paper conducts a detailed energy analysis of the HRES for three specific days, representing different seasons. The energy generated by the HRES, which includes solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines (WTs), is compared with the actual load demand data recorded from a residential house in the same location and year. To determine the optimal size of the battery energy storage system (BESS) for the HRES, a battery sizing algorithm (BSA) is employed. The results demonstrate the feasibility and recommendation of installing small-scale renewable energy systems in residential houses in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Sufficient energy can be harvested from renewable resources during the winter, spring, and autumn seasons to meet the load demand, with backup systems available for use during the summer season. The study emphasizes that variations in solar irradiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed throughout the year significantly affect the generation of renewable energy.