Hybrid systems that combine renewable technologies, such as photovoltaic and wind, with energy storage, such as batteries, thermal storage and green hydrogen, make it possible to offset the intrinsic variability of renewable generation and its dependence on weather conditions, solar irradiation and wind. Having storage systems makes it possible to store surplus energy at times of high production and low demand or low prices, and to use the stored energy at times of insufficient production and high demand or high prices, either to sell it on the markets or to consume it in the facility itself.

Similarly, when different renewable technologies that depend on different natural resources are combined in the same plant, the plant can produce more steadily by not depending on a single natural resource.

At AleaSoft Energy Forecasting we carry out studies, analyses and reports for hybrid systems, mainly photovoltaic solar with batteries, but also photovoltaic solar with wind, the three combined — photovoltaic solar, wind and batteries — as well as other hybrid systems, such as photovoltaic with thermal storage in industrial facilities:

• Optimisation of energy storage systems for photovoltaic and wind renewable plants and industrial consumption facilities.
• Development of operating strategies for the storage system to maximise revenues or energy savings.
• Estimation of revenues or savings taking into account the defined strategy and long-term hourly market price forecasts.

To develop the operating strategies we run hourly market price simulations and apply optimisation algorithms that take into account the characteristics of the hybrid system: renewable capacity, storage capacity, charge-loss rate, charge and discharge power, long-term degradation, or, in the case of industrial facilities, the consumption profile of the plant. We also consider the opportunities to sell energy on the day-ahead, intraday and secondary reserve markets. The hourly price simulations are based on the Alea methodology, which combines Artificial Intelligence, time series and statistical models.