Optimal Sizing of a Wind-PV Grid-Connected Hybrid System for Base Load– Helsinki Case

In recent years, due to the goal of decarbonizing energy systems, Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) have attracted attention as the primary potential energy resource in many countries. Thus, the utility-scale deployment of these resources has become of utmost importance. The large-scale connections and the intermittent as well as variable characteristics of these RESs cause challenges in maintaining a balance between power generation and consumption. Furthermore, supplying base load using RESs is another challenge for system operators. Hybrid RESs (HRESs), including solar and wind, together with energy storage, might be a remedy via which the resources can complement each other to some extent. In this paper, using geographical data acquired from National Solar Radiation Database and Matlab/Simulink, the output of each individual solar panel and wind turbine unit in the Helsinki region are calculated and used to optimally size an HRES to supply the base load. The results indicate that an HRES is at least 10.5 times more cost-efficient compared to a single RES system. Furthermore, it can be seen that, even in Finland where there is not sufficient solar radiation in winter, the size of the required energy storage system reduces by at least 13.4 times when an HRES is used.