Cost effective solar and wind hybrid power system for rural development

In this study, a general model of a hybrid off-grid energy system is developed, which can be adjusted to reflect real conditions in order to achieve economical and ecological optimization of off-grid energy systems. With respect to small off-grid energy systems, it was found that renewable energy in combination with electrical storage devices help to reduce the cost of energy compared to stand-alone diesel generator sets. The optimal solutions strongly depend on the particular load demand curve. As both Photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy benefit from energy storage, the costs of the battery can be shared and the two technologies complement each other. Finally, although the optimized capacity of the diesel generator remains nearly constant, its contribution to the total power generation is being substituted by renewable energy sources, which serve as fuel-saving technologies