Optimum sizing of stand-alone wind-photovoltaic hybrid systems for representative wind and solar potential cases of the Greek territory

Wind and solar driven stand-alone systems can under certain conditions comprise attractive electrification solutions for numerous isolated consumers worldwide. However, due to their requirement for considerable energy storage capacity, diesel generator sets are normally used instead. To minimize oil consumption, the idea of creating a combined wind - photovoltaic (PV) based hybrid system with the use of an appropriate energy storage device is currently investigated. In this context, the main target of the specific work is to estimate the appropriate size of a similar system, so as to meet the energy demand of typical remote consumers under the criterion of minimum first installation cost. Representative case studies of the Greek territory with different quality of wind and solar potential are currently investigated, with the results obtained designating the advantages of the proposed solution, especially for locations of low wind potential. Furthermore, according to the results, the critical role of the local wind potential on the optimum size of such configurations is reflected, while variation of the local solar potential in the Greek territory seems to only slightly influence the minimum first installation cost solutions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.