Hybrid power
[4][5] Hybrid systems, as the name implies, combine two or more modes of electricity generation together, usually using renewable technologies such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines.
It runs 500 kW of solar power through the inverter of a 2 MW wind turbine, increasing the capacity factor and reducing costs by $150,000 per year.
[citation needed] In several parts of China & India, there are lighting pylons with combinations of solar panels and wind-turbines at their top.
[citation needed] Solar panels on the already existing wind turbines has been tested, but produced blinding rays of light that posed a threat to airplanes.
Another proposed design was to have a vertical axis wind turbine coated in solar cells that are able to absorb sunlight from any angle.
[17] Feasibility studies have been conducted for installations on the island of Ramea (Newfoundland and Labrador) and on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation (South Dakota).
[21] However, these expectations were not realized in practice, probably due to inadequate reservoir volume and persistent problems with grid stability.
[29] When solar thermal storage plant is forced to idle due to lack of sunlight locally during cloudy days in monsoon season, it is also possible to consume (similar to a lesser efficient, huge capacity and low cost battery storage system) the cheap surplus / infirm power from solar PV, wind and hydro power plants by heating the hot molten salt to higher temperature for converting stored thermal energy in to electricity during the peak demand hours when the electricity sale price is profitable.
A hybrid solar inverter additionally allows the storage of low cost electricity drawn down on cheap tariffs.
In 2007 there was an IPO of an Australian firm called Wind Hydrogen that aimed to commercialise this technology in both Australia and the UK.
They are designed to increase capacity and reduce the cost and environmental impact of electrical generation in remote communities and facilities that are not linked to a power grid.
[45] Wind-diesel hybrid systems reduce reliance on diesel fuel, which creates pollution and is costly to transport.
A growing number of viable sites have been developed with increased reliability and minimized technical support costs in remote communities.
[citation needed] The successful integration of wind energy with diesel generating sets relies on complex controls to ensure correct sharing of intermittent wind energy and controllable diesel generation to meet the demand of the usually variable load.
In remote locations at Lac de Gras, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and Katinniq, Ungava Peninsula, Nunavik, two systems are used to save fuel at mines.
During later periods of high electrical demand, the air is released to power turbines, generally using supplemental natural gas.
The diesel gensets are used to constantly fill in the gap between the present load and the actual generated power by the PV system.
[57] Many of these applications can be found in the mining sector [58] and on islands [55][59][60] In 2015, a case-study conducted in seven countries concluded that in all cases generating costs can be reduced by hybridising mini-grids and isolated grids.
However, financing costs for diesel-powered electricity grids with solar photovoltaics are crucial and largely depend on the ownership structure of the power plant.
