Solar and wind power generation complement each other better than had been previously thought, according to fresh research by the Reiner Lemoine Institut in Berlin and German knowledge services provider to the renewables industry, Solarpraxis.
A team of researchers examined the surface area where solar photovoltaic systems and wind turbines were installed together.
They found that, within that same surface area, twice the amount of electricity was being generated, and the shading produced by the wind turbines accounted for a mere 1-2% loss in the photovoltaic system.
That is much less than previously thought would be the case.
“Until now, it was thought that the shadows cast on solar plants by wind turbines led to high yield losses. The study shows, however, that these shading losses are much lower than expected, provided the hybrid power plant is well designed,” said Alexander Woitas, head of engineering at Solarpraxis.
“Various scenarios were simulated for the study and detailed shading analyses were carried out. Initial requests to create yield reports as well as technical and economic system planning have given us cause to hope that the more efficient utilisation of space and infrastructure created by hybrid power plants has excellent prospects for the future.”
According to the institute and Solarpraxis, one of the strong benefits is the construction of these types of power plants do not require grid expansion since the plants generate wind and solar power at different intervals and during complementary seasons.
This helps ensure that the level of energy being fed into the grid is steadier than that of wind or photovoltaic power plants alone. In other words the worries associated with intermittency of generation are to some extent mitigated.
To continue the research, a photovoltaic system will be retrofitted with onshore wind turbines in Templin (near Berlin).
The pilot plant will be monitored and data analysed by Solarpraxis, the Reiner Lemoine Institut, and other project partners.
The data will be used for feasibility studies of future integration between wind and solar power.
This is all part of the German government’s Zwanzig20 research initiative and may provide pointers to similar applications in other EU member countries, including the UK.
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