The benefits of combining solar and wind energy. Image source: Shutterstock (#451988878)
The sun only shines during the day and wind blows is seasonally variable and does not always blows when energy is needed. So both energy sources could be combined. Wind tends to complement solar resources and the other way round. Both technologies combined serve as a better replacement for climate-warming fossil fuels than either could be alone. It also saves money on grid connections, site development and approvals. Local energy grids can disconnect from the traditional grid. Those microgrids could then operate autonomously. Solar migrogrids need a form of storage but batteries are expensive. Adding wind can help to save battery costs because then wind energy can be used instead of the stored solar energy. This saves battery costs. Combining the two sources through hybrid projects entails the advantage of the strength of each.
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