Hybrid wind-photovoltaic energy systems

Abstract: Photovoltaics (PVs) offer consumers the ability to generate electricity in a clean, quiet and reliable way by a direct conversion of solar light energy into electricity. This chapter begins with a brief presentation of solar and wind resources while special attention is given to their complementarity. After discussing their design, each subsystem is presented and the calculation of kW h cost is discussed. Optimal methods for hybrid system sizing are shown while, finally, two cases studies which implement and illustrate the various points discussed in the chapter are presented.