Useful links:
Compatibility of wind and solar power generation in reducing effects of power output intermittency - case study
Reduced storage and balancing needs in a fully renewable European power system with excess wind and solar power generation
Optimal combination of storage and balancing in a 100% renewable European power system
Seasonal optimal mix of wind and solar power in a future, highly renewable EuropeCompatibility of wind and solar power generation in reducing effects of power output intermittency - case study
Reduced storage and balancing needs in a fully renewable European power system with excess wind and solar power generation
Is it right to combine wind and solar?
A combination of different renewable generators is called a hybrid system and there are several advantages to such a configuration.
The first is that usually there is a high level of complementarity between available wind and solar energy. While the day cycle complementarity is relatively low, most locations show a significant complementarity in annual cycles. It means that when wind is weak, the sun shines brighter and vice versa, which leads to more stable and reliable energy generation. Studies show that combining wind and solar in the right ratio can reduce the optimal battery bank size almost two times.
The first is that usually there is a high level of complementarity between available wind and solar energy. While the day cycle complementarity is relatively low, most locations show a significant complementarity in annual cycles. It means that when wind is weak, the sun shines brighter and vice versa, which leads to more stable and reliable energy generation. Studies show that combining wind and solar in the right ratio can reduce the optimal battery bank size almost two times.
Another reason to add solar to Your wind installation is that solar is easily scalable. With solar it is very easy to add tiny amounts of additional power to fine-tune Your consumption to production ratio and get the maximum productivity from Your location. You also can avoid large investments by adding a smaller amount of panels over time.
Also, it helps to utilize maximum potential from Your particular location. You should not place a wind turbine on the roof, but it is an ideal place to install solar panels. If the installation is in the middle of a field, then having a wind turbine instead of photovoltaic park will conserve space; solar can be installed in a turbulent area, but it is easier to install a wind turbine on uneven area, and so on...
Wind and solar energy are complementary, not competitive, and can be used together to achieve maximum use of available renewable energy on a particular spot.