The hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) has been presented as the most studied solution for improving the sustainability of energy production infrastructures in isolated areas. With the rapid growth of HRES markets, various issues and aspects must be taken into consideration when the major working about the hybridization of renewable energy sources, consequently optimization problem solving for this system is a requirement. Therefore, this paper presents a state-of-the-art review of hybrid meta-heuristic algorithms applied for the optimal size of HRES. The relevant literature source and their distribution are presented firstly. We then review the literature from two viewpoints, including existing applied hybrid meta-heuristic algorithms for single-objective and for multi-objective design. Finally, some promising paths ranging from improving algorithms to technical applications are outlined to encourage researchers to conduct research in related fields. Graphical Abstract Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11831-022-09730-x.

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