A Novel Hybrid Solar-wind Energy Conversion System for Remote Area Electrification

Abstract

Background: Remote area electrification is a social responsibility that needs to be catered by research fraternity. One of the most viable technology as a solution is the Renewable Energy Source (RES) based power generation. However, RES is intermittent and thus, mostly ineffective without an energy storage device. Energy storage device comes at increased cost and may not be a cost-effective solution to the problem. Introduction: One solution that has been frequently proposed to reduce the intermittency of RES is hybridization. Hybridization of RES such as Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) with Solar Energy Conversion System (SECS) is the most basic solution offered owing to their complementary nature. Therefore, this paper sees SECS in the role of supporting WECS in regions with highly intermittent wind conditions. In this paper, a novel technique of hybridization of WECS with SECS has been proposed. Methods: The basic idea of the paper is to control the dc-link voltage from the generation side by regulating the power generated by RES as per load demand using minimum components. The underlined principle is the relative lower time constant of solar panel and battery system in comparison to a wind turbine. Results: The experimental results on the proposed system shows that the SECS supports the WECS at higher wind turbulence and low wind conditions. Conclusion: This unique feature of the proposed system enables a WECS supported by a small rated SECS to attain high power reliability and thus, suitable for application such as remote area electrification.