Performance of different types of renewable power supply systems

Abstract

SYNOPSIS A combination of different types of generator has proved useful on technical and economic levels. In this paper we investigate the performance of a hybrid Photovoltaic(PV)-Wind generator power supply system operating under good and fair insolation and wind regimes. The effectiveness of such a hybrid system is measured by the Relative Sizing Parameter (RSP), Money Saving Parameter (MSP), and the Overall Reliability Parameter (ORP). Under specified weather conditions and for a nominal load demand, the RSP relates the product of the PV-modules and storage batteries involved in sizing the PV-Wind hybrid system to those of a stand alone PV-system sized to meet the same load. The MSP reports the difference between the total costs of a stand-alone PV power supply system and a hybrid PV-Wind power supply system, both sized to meet the same load, as a percentage of the total costs involved in supplying the load with a stand-alone PV power supply system only. The ORP compares the yearly average of the daily excess energy (positive difference between generated and consumed energy) of the hybrid system to that of the stand-alone PV power system. Based on this strategy we were able to develop a number of design diagrams which can be used in judging the benefits of utilizing hybrid PV-Wind generators on both economic and energy reliability grounds.