Techno-Economics of an Improved Hybrid solar Wind turbine

Abstract

The design of an Improved Hybrid Solar Wind Turbine (IHSWT) is described in which solar and wind are combined and converted into a single energy source. It consists of installing solar panels on the south-facing façade of the wind turbine tower. To capture maximum sunlight, the solar panels below the turbine blade, are mounted on extended cantilever arms and arranged in a semi-circular skirt around the perimeter of the tower face. This is an improvement on the previous design as more panels can be installed allowing for greater capture of solar irradiance. Data of an NREL 8 MW reference wind turbine is used for comparison to evaluate the performance and cost of the proposed IHSWT. From the results it is clear that IHSWT offers a reduced levelized cost of energy (LCOE), even after allowing for shading losses from the turbine blade, and a much steadier production of energy. The introduction of IHSWT would help to make wind farms a more cost-effective and competitive source of clean energy.