Photovoltaic-wind hybrid system with battery back-up optimized for apartment complexes and other community living environments

This paper presents an optimization tool which can be used to analyzed the feasibility of a hybrid wind-photovoltaic power system to meet the load requirements. The case study is done on a grid-tied apartment complex where 50% of the load is met by the proposed hybrid energy system. The methodology employs a techno-economic approach to determine the system that would guarantee a reliable energy supply with the lowest investment. The results obtained show that the reliable solution is that in which 95% of load is covered by photovoltaic panels and the other 5% by wind turbines. The Life Cycle Costing with payback time and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) with Net Metering are provided as part of the economics in the project. Federal incentives like Investment Tax Credits, MACRS and Bonus Depreciation, and Renewable Energy Grants were taken into account to evaluate initial and recurring costs for owners.