Assessing wind and solar energy complementarity using novel metrics based on residual load profiles

The effective implementation of the energy complementarity concept for variable renewable energy (VRE) will assist in the transition and planning to sustainable energy systems. Most published studies evaluate energy complementarity using statistical techniques rather than considering its influence on national or regional load components. This work offers an approach to evaluate the complementarity of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems using metrics based on residual load (RL) and other fundamental system factors. Among the parameters are VRE ramping power, ramping cycles, full load hours of conventional systems, capacity credit, peak load, and baseload. To validate the approach a case study about Kuwait's load profile used. Results indicate that relying on one technological integration in planning is inadequate to manage RL components and strains the power system. Increasing overproduction generation results from growing capacity of solar PV systems. Higher spatial spread greatly lowers the extreme ramping power for solar PV and wind power systems. As spatial complementarity grew, both systems showed a significant drop in ramping rate. Optimal technology mix for the spatiotemporal complementing approach, 25–50 % solar PV and 75 to 25 % wind energy. The case study demonstrates the approach can support legislators implement plans for incorporating VRE.