Wind and solar energy intermittency: The silver lining

• Wind and solar resources are inherently volatile in power production over time. • Wind power peaked at 6 AM with generation capacity of ∼ 33.9 MW for Lubbock, Texas. • Solar power peaked at 11 AM with generation of ∼ 11.1 MW for Imperial, California. • Increased theoretical power of ∼ 449 MW can be produced by the hybrid system. • Curtailment can significantly be minimized. This study investigates how the intermittent complementarity of wind and solar can be leveraged by combining them into a hybrid power system. Wind and solar resources are inherently volatile in power generation over time which causes instability challenges when integrated into the power grid. Three scenario analyses have been presented to understand the alternating temporal behavior of wind and solar as well as to compare their performance as independent generators to the hybrid system. Theoretical uncapped systems were modelled for the wind power system and the solar photovoltaic system. Results of the study indicate that generation can be complemented and optimized to achieve constant supply by leveraging their peak hours since wind does very well during the nighttime and early mornings compared to solar, which can only be operationalized during daytime. Total daily generation by the hybrid system doubled with a capacity of ∼ 449 MW compared to output by the independent wind and solar system with generation capacities of ∼ 381 MW and ∼ 68 MW, respectively. The wind power system generated the highest output because wind has more operational hours than solar. The combined output of the hybrid system showed a more steadier power curve which is easier for the grid to integrate lowering the need to curtail power.