Renewable Hybrid Systems: Characterization and Tendencies

A renewable hybrid system combines energy sources for electricity generation and its use is motivated by the call for diversification and decentralization of non-polluting sources and complementarity between renewable resources. This system is more reliable and cost-effective than a system based on a single source and among different combinations of components the most commonly used is solar wind. The operation of these systems depends on factors such as design, optimization, reliability and economic performance. Thus, the main objective of this article is to present the state of the art of renewable hybrid systems worldwide, highlighting its main characteristics. Among the 14 analyzed articles, Homer software is the most used for Hybrid System scaling; for optimization the most commonly used metaheuristic is the PSO. In addition, 36.4% of the articles did not use any type of energy storage, and the remaining used batteries, fuel cells or both technologies. As application, 63.6% of the plants supplied reverse osmosis systems or residential loads; the others supplied the demand for remote rural areas or to charge electric cars.