Component sizing for multi-source renewable energy systems

A scaling method is developed for the sizing of components in distributed renewable energy systems containing multiple sources of power. Using historic site-specific meteorological data, and given a specific load requirement, cost and power availability are visualised as a function of the sizing of photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, and battery capacity. Design optima are derived for specific locations, quantifying the merit, both economically and energetically, of designing specific system architectures to suit local weather patterns. It is shown that multi-source systems significantly outperform single-source power plant, and furthermore different sites within 100 miles of each other may benefit significantly from a different relative sizing of components. For off-grid sites with a specific load requirement, the size limitations of individual components are found, above which there is no net gain in power availability; these limitations are a strong function of the local meteorological history. In certain cases the capital component cost can be halved if the desired theoretical demand availability is reduced from 100% to 99%.