Complementarity Roses Evaluating Spatial Complementarity in Time between Energy Resources

Hybrid energy systems have higher initial costs than systems that are based on only one renewable resource, but allow for the fulfillment of the demands of consumer loads with lower values for the cost of energy. The possible complementarity between the resources used can contribute to a better use of the available energy. On a large scale, complementarity between power plants can serve as a tool for the management of energy resources. A complete evaluation of complementarity needs to consider three components: time complementarity, energy complementarity, and complementarity between amplitudes of variation. Complementarity can also be assessed between energy resources in one place (which may be termed temporal complementarity) and between resources at different sites (termed spatial complementarity). This paper proposes a method for quantifying spatial complementarity over time and for its expression through maps. The method suggests the establishment of a hexagonal network of cells and the determination of complementary roses for each cell that contains power plants. This article also applies the method proposed to some hydroelectric plants and wind farms in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, and present the map of spatial complementarity in time obtained.