Hybrid Renewable Energy

Synergies between wind, solar and energy-storage technologies are driving changes on the ground across Canada. There is rapidly growing interest in the joint deployment of these technologies. They can be combined in the same location (“co-located deployment”), or even integrated into a single hybrid project. 

This is happening at multiple scales.

For example, many building owners are investing in rooftop solar PV generation systems, paired with batteries, so that power generated from the solar panels can either be utilized directly by the customer, exported to the grid, or stored for future use. The result is enhanced customer control, and greater energy independence and resiliency.  

Similar trends are emerging at the utility scale.

There is growing interest in co-locating wind and solar energy developments. This is not only to capitalize on the synergies between the technologies, but also to make more efficient use of the land and electricity infrastructure (e.g., transformers, transmission) required to support these projects. 

Utility-scale wind and solar energy projects are also relying more on energy storage. For example, TransAlta recently installed a battery at its Summerview wind farm to enable the facility to provide a broader range of services to the electricity grid in a more efficient manner. And on a smaller scale, the Cowesses First Nation and the Wind Energy Institute of Canada now have facilities utilizing all wind, solar and energy storage.

While wind, solar and energy storage are unique and distinct technologies, they are natural allies. Learn more about these technologies that have so much potential to work together: wind, solar, storage, hybrid.