Market

Rising energy costs and evolving ecological awareness make consumers focus on energy savings and replacement of fossil fuels by sustainable and renewable energy sources. Solar thermal and biomass heating are two examples of successful substitution of fossil fuels. However, some consumers even consider becoming completely independent of their energy provider. Integrated systems applying wind turbines and other system components provide large potential to cover the demand of these customers.

An increasing number of countries politically support rural electrification with renewable sources. India, China and Brazil are pioneers; other countries have indicated to follow this example. Especially in Africa programs for rural electrification with hybrid systems are being established. The most critical aspect of Hybrid Power Systems incorporating Renewables is the electricity cost price of such systems. In PV based systems mostly the electricity cost price is way above 0.5 €/kWh. The application of wind energy at sites with good wind conditions decreases these costs considerably enhancing the economical performance.