Hybridization of existing solar PV farms considering wind power, batteries and electrolyzers

Abstract

Obtaining access and connection rights to transmission and distribution networks is becoming increasingly difficult for renewable energy investors. This delays the incorporation of new renewable energy facilities in power systems. Then, considering the variability of the energy production of some renewable technologies, administrations are promoting the hybridization of existing facilities with other technologies to make use of the already assigned connection rights. In this study, we propose a decision-making tool to determine the size and type of alternative technologies that can be used to hybridize existing solar photovoltaic power farm. This is a long-term planning problem subject to several sources of uncertainty that can be modeled using stochastic programming. The proposed formulation was tested on a realistic case study in which alternative hybridization technologies such as wind power, batteries, and electrolyzers were considered.