Hourly assessment of photovoltaic-wind complementarity using TRNSYS under Northern Spain

Photovoltaic-wind hybrid systems are increasingly recognised as an effective solution for reducing the variability of renewable power generation; however, their short-term complementarity under real operating conditions remains insufficiently characterised. This study presents an hourly assessment of photovoltaic-wind complementarity using a dynamic TRNSYS-based modelling framework applied to a real site in Northern Spain. The model integrates an ideal dual-axis solar-tracking photovoltaic field and a 1.5 MW wind turbine subjected to the same hourly meteorological inputs, including solar irradiance, ambient temperature and wind speed. The photovoltaic subsystem was represented using a simplified single-diode formulation suitable for long-term energy simulations and implemented through a custom TRNSYS Type, while wind power generation was estimated using the turbine power curve implemented in TRNSYS Type 90. Simulations were performed over a complete meteorological year (8760 h) to analyse the temporal behaviour of both renewable resources and quantify their complementarity. The results show that photovoltaic generation dominates the analysed configuration, contributing 87.9% of the total annual energy production, while wind energy accounts for the remaining 12.1%. The hourly complementarity analysis reveals a very weak negative correlation (−0.02), indicating largely independent temporal behaviour between both resources. Although complementarity is limited at the annual scale, wind generation partially compensates periods of low solar production, particularly during nighttime and low-irradiance conditions. Furthermore, the seasonal analysis reveals a remarkably uniform hybrid energy production throughout the year, with seasonal contributions ranging from 24.4% to 25.5%, highlighting the stabilising effect of combining both renewable resources. The proposed modelling framework provides a detailed characterisation of short-term photovoltaic-wind interactions and offers a transferable basis for the assessment and future optimisation of hybrid renewable energy systems in regions with high climatic variability.