Unit Sizing and Control of Hybrid Wind-solar Power Systems

AbshxctThe aim ofthis paper is to provide the core of a CAn/CAA tool that can help designers detennine the optimal design of a hybrid wind-solar power system for either autonomous or grid-linked applications. The proposed analysis einploys linear programming techniques to minimize the average production cost of electricity while meeting the load requircinents in a reliable manner, and takes environmental factors into consideration both in the design and operation phases. While in autoiionious systems, the environmental credit gained as compared to diesel alternatives can be obtained through direct optimization, in grid-linked systems eiiiission is another variable to be minimized such that the use of renewable energy can be justified. A controller that monitors the operation of the autonornoudgrid-linked system is designed. Such a colitloller dctei miles the energy available from each of the system components atid the environmental credit of the system. It then gives details relatcd to cost, uninet arid spilled energies, and battery charge and discharge losses.