Techno-economic assessment of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems with advanced EMS and renewable energy-based EV charging with V2H integration for remote and grid-edge Australian communities

Remote and off-grid Australian communities face persistent energy insecurity because of their dependence on diesel-based microgrids, which are both economically and environmentally unsustainable. This study proposes and comprehensively evaluates three Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) configurations, namely off-grid, off-grid with Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), and on-grid, integrating solar Photovoltaic (PV), Wind Turbines (WT), Battery Energy Storage (BES), and Electric Vehicles (EVs). It conducts a detailed techno-economic assessment of these configurations using a rule-based energy management strategy designed to identify the most balanced and sustainable design. A novel rule-based Energy Management System (EMS) is developed to enable real-time, degradation-aware dispatch that accounts for EV availability, battery and EV aging, and local renewable variability. The EMS is computationally efficient, transparent, and suitable for embedded control platforms operating in infrastructure-constrained microgrids. Using hourly simulations over a 20-year horizon with realistic solar, wind, residential load, and rural EV mobility datasets, this work assesses each configuration within a unified techno-economic, environmental, and social framework. Key performance indicators include Net Present Cost (NPC), Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Return on Investment (ROI), lifecycle CO₂ emissions, employment creation, and Human Development Index (HDI) improvement. The off-grid system with V2H integration demonstrates the most balanced performance, achieving a 96.4 % renewable share, Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) of 0.00017, and a 91.2% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with the diesel baseline. It also reduces NPC to $199,235, shortens payback to 7.12 years, and increases ROI (0.755) and IRR (12.80%). The on-grid configuration achieves a lower LCOE (0.1010 $/kWh) but compromises energy autonomy and environmental performance. Sensitivity analysis identifies battery cost and project lifetime as the dominant influencing factors. Overall, this study provides a scalable and practical blueprint for resilient and inclusive energy access in remote regions, offering valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to integrate transport electrification with decentralized renewable-energy planning.