HYBRID WIND-SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM Electricity cannot be seen, felt, tasted, smelled, heard or (safely) touched.

Due to the isolation of many dwellings, agricultural sites, and industrial sites, there is considerable interest in novel forms of electricity production. Two such forms of production are solar photo-voltaic (PV) cells based on DC power generating arrays and wind turbines based on propeller-driven DC power generators. Electrical power generation and special sources of electric power, like wind-turbines, are frequently discussed in the public media. The additional factor of the general concern and interest for environmental issues is a further enticement to attract the peoples interest in these green -technology forms of electricity generation. Issues of Wind turbines and Photo-Voltaic Cells : As the wind does not blow all the time nor does the sun shine all the time, solar and wind power alone are poor power sources. Hybridizing solar and wind power sources together with storage batteries to cover the periods of time without sun or wind provides a realistic form of power generation. This variable feature of wind turbine power generation is different from conventional fossil fuel, nuclear, or hydro-based power generation. Wind energy has become the least expensive renewable energy technology in existence and has peaked the interest of scientists and educators the world over. Photo-Voltaic or PV cells, known commonly as solar cells, convert the energy from sunlight into DC electricity. PVs offer added advantages over other renewable energy sources in that they give off no noise and require practically no maintenance. PV cells are a familiar element of the scientific calculators owned by many of us. Their operating principles and governing relationships are unfortunately not as pedagogically simple as that of wind-turbines. However, they operate using the same semiconductor principles that govern diodes and transistors. By combining these two intermittent sources and by incorporating maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms, the systems power transfer efficiency and reliability can be improved significantly. When a source is unavailable or insufficient. A simpler multi-input structure has been suggested by that combine the sources from the DC-end while still achieving MPPT for each renewable source. The structure proposed is a fusion of the buck and buckboost converter. The systems in literature require passive input filters to remove

the high frequency current harmonics injected into wind turbine generators . The block diagram for the above said system is shown below in figure 1:

Figure 1 Block Diagram

BENEFITS: 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 more steady than that of wind or photovoltaic power plants alone. In higher latitude regions with, for example those with a low level of winter sunlight, a home solar only system would need to remain connected to the grid or have a backup generator. Neither of these options reward the owner with the feel good factor in that he or she has truly gone green and independent. The solar and wind technology combination therefore becomes very attractive to cover the low sunlight winter months; months that often tie in neatly by almost always having a good winter wind regime. The solar and wind power system layout is not complicated. An array of solar panels on one hand, and a wind turbine, or two, on the other consecutively

or alternatively charge a bank of batteries, sized to accept the amount of charge available without excessive charge wastage, and provide the home with the electricity it requires, year round. Both power sources would have their own or a combined control system to protect the batteries from overcharge. Batteries tend to last longer in these hybrid systems, since they are receiving a more regular charge year round, thus avoiding excessive discharge at times of low solar (or wind) gain, which would shorten the life of the batteries. This is one of the additional advantages of using solar and wind together. Both Solar & Wind power are used in remote areas for charging a battery and delivery of grid quality electricity through large capacity sine wave inverters. During monsoon months solar power generation is reduced to a large extent due to cloudy skies, during the same period, the wind speeds are much higher than rest of the year. During monsoon, wind turbines generate extra power to compensate for the loss of solar power. CONCLUSION: Obviously, a complete hybrid power system of this nature may be too expensive and too labour intensive. However, many of the same benefits could be gleaned from having some subset of the system, for example a PV panel, batteries, and an inverter, or even just a PV panel and a DC motor.