Abstract
This study focuses on the selection of the best hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) configuration based on technical, economic, environmental, and sustainable development indices, considering how excess electricity (EE) is best utilized for hydrogen production, water desalination, grid sales, storage, or dumping. The integration of sustainable development goals (SDGs) into configuration selection and decision-making regarding EE utilization has not been considered. A primary residential load demand of 1000 kWh/day for a case study in Astana, Kazakhstan, is considered to be supplied through an HRES. Results show that the PV/WT/Gen/Bat configuration and the use of EE for hydrogen production, with an energy cost of 0.128 $/kWh and a renewable fraction (RF) of 90%, fulfill all considered aspects with the highest TOPSIS score, where weights are generated using DEMATEL-ANP, the Best Worst Method (BWM), and CRITIC. Sensitivity analyses of resource, technical, and economic parameters generalize the results for other conditions.