AUTHOR=Goli Preetham , Yelem Srikanth , Alhashem Mohammed , N. Caruso Anthony 

TITLE=Fuel efficiency and economic assessment of a hybrid power supply system for mission critical applications

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2025.1511978

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2025.1511978

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=Hybrid power supplies leveraging renewable energy sources have emerged as pivotal solutions ensuring uninterrupted power for critical applications like telecom towers in remote regions. However, limited research has evaluated the real-world performance, fuel efficiency and economic viability of commercially deployed systems particularly those using liquid propane (LP) as the primary fuel source. This paper evaluates the feasibility and efficacy of a hybrid power supply integrating a LP generator, Battery Energy Storage (BES) and Photovoltaic Panel (PV). Three configurations—LP only, LP-BES and LP-BES-PV are assessed using a spreadsheet based simulation across multiple loading conditions and geographic regions, including Canada, Nigeria and Kansas City. Results show that integrating BES and PV can reduce annual fuel consumption by over 55%, significantly lowering operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. A 20-year total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis demonstrates that hybrid configurations can achieve up to 32% cost savings compared to LP only systems. Environmental impact is quantified using EPA emission factors, revealing that the hybrid system can avoid more than 65.8 metric tons of CO2 annually. Sensitivity analysis further examines the impact of fuel prices, solar energy output and battery costs on system performance. The findings underscore the operational and environmental benefits of hybridizing LP based systems with renewable technologies. While LP based systems offer unique advantages for remote deployments, such as fuel stability and ease of storage, this study confirms that integrating PV and BES significantly enhances performance and long-term cost-effectiveness.