Experimental Energy Analysis of a Hybrid Wind-PV Stand-Alone Installation G. Ristas, G. Spyropoulos, K. Kavadias and J.K. Kaldellis Lab of Soft Energy Applications & Environmental Protection, TEI of Piraeus, Greece URL: http://www.sealab.gr, Tel. +30 210-5381237, FAX +30 210-5381467 P.O. Box 41046, Athens 12201, jkald@teipir.gr KEYWORDS - Remote consumer, battery bank, diesel generator, fuel consumption, energy autonomy ABSTRACT On the numerous small and medium-sized islands of the Aegean Archipelagos and the broader Mediterranean region one may encounter several thousands of remote consumers unable to appreciate a direct electricity utility supply. For this purpose, remote consumers usually cover their needs based on the operation of small diesel-generator sets. On the other hand, most of these areas appreciate medium-high or high quality solar potential combined with medium to high quality wind potential, that encourage examination of stand-alone solutions based on wind and solar power, without the need to introduce extreme energy storage capacity. To this end, the present study examines both the theoretical and the experimental operation of a hybrid, stand-alone wind-PV system located in the Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus, Athens-Greece. The system comprises of a small-scale wind generator, a PV array and a lead-acid battery bank, used to serve operation of both AC and DC loads, including also a DC water pump. In this regard, by using detailed monitoring data from the experimental installation as well as a preliminary simulation process, comparison is obtained between theoretical results and experimental data, while the long- term energy performance of the installation main components is also evaluated. The results obtained provide useful information on the actual performance of such systems, while at the same time designate operation directions in order for such systems to become both more reliable and energy efficient. 1 INTRODUCTION In the numerous small and medium-sized islands of the Aegean Archipelagos and the broader Mediterranean region one may encounter several thousands of remote consumers unable to appreciate a direct electricity utility supply. For this purpose, remote consumers usually cover their needs based on the operation of small diesel-generator sets. On the other hand, most of these areas appreciate medium-high or high quality solar potential combined with medium to high quality wind potential [1]. Emphasizing on the Greek territory and the numerous isolated regions, mostly encountered in island areas, the quality of the local renewable energy sources (RES) potential is in many cases quite appreciable. In fact, the local solar potential ranges from 1300kWh/m 2 to 1800kWh/m 2 on an annual basis, while at the same time, wind potential of certain areas may be determined by average wind speeds even in the order of 10m/sec (see also Figure 1). Considering the above, operation of RES-based installations is highly encouraged in order to cover the electricity needs of such remote consumers [2-4]. In this context, combination of wind and solar based energy production, comprising a hybrid solution [5,6], guarantees reduction of extreme energy storage requirements, largely depending on the complementarity of the local wind and solar potential (Figure 1). To this end, the medium-high quality solar potential met across the entire Greek region secures the performance of similar installations, especially in the case of exploiting an analogous quality wind potential. On the other