A dimensionless index evaluating the time complementarity between solar and hydraulic energies

Alexandre Beluco, Paulo Kroeff de Souza and Arno Krenzinger

Renewable Energy, 2008, vol. 33, issue 10, 2157-2165

Abstract: The power plants based on renewable sources face various acceptance difficulties mainly due to high initial costs and low overall efficiencies. A way to improve performance of these systems is to utilize more than one type of source of energy chosen to provide some degree of complementarity. An interesting, albeit improbable, combination is obtained using hydroelectric and photovoltaic energy, taking advantage of the complementarity between these two types of sources coupled to reservoir and/or battery storage. This paper discusses energy complementarity in time and proposes a numerical dimensionless index, evaluating this energy complementarity between two types of energy sources, in the same or in different locations, or between two sources of the same type in different locations. In the end, the results of the application of this index to the solar and water availabilities over the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, is presented in the form of maps.

Keywords: Renewable resources; Energetic complementarity; Hybrid energy systems; Solar energy; Micro-hydropower (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:33:y:2008:i:10:p:2157-2165

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2008.01.019

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