On defining and assessing of the energy balance and operational logic within hybrid renewable energy systems

Abstract

The paper is considering a problem of providing energy in small neighbourhoods consisting of the households and local industrial or commercial units (e.g. farms, workshops, offices). Such communities may benefit from the use of the Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) harnessing solar and wind power, accumulating excess energy using Power Storage Banks and integrating to the External Power Grid (EPG). Phases of planning, design, installation and operation of HRESs are considered as interconnected complex tasks needing appropriate Requirement Analysis. Architecture and energy balance of the HRES are introduced where important role is devoted to the Energy Gateway Station. Characteristics of the exploiting of solar and wind potential energy and customer usage patterns in such communities are considered. Types of requests for energy use or its supply to EPG as well as principles of the operational logic of the HRES are introduced. Criteria for assessing of the effectiveness of HRES are briefly discussed.