Optimum design of photovoltaic(PV)/wind turbine/fuel cell hybrid system using discrete simulated annealing algorithm

; “> Abstract—Optimum design of PV/wind hybrid system has become the main focus of many investigations. The ultimate aim of the optimum design is to determine the number of PV panels and wind turbines so that the total annual cost of the hybrid system subject to some constraints is minimized. Also because of their low impact on environment, PV/wind hybrid systems which use fuel cells (FCs) as the energy storage device are one of the most promising renewable energy sources. In this pape  PV/wind/FC system is modeled and a metaheuristic technique based on simulated annealing (SA) is employed to find the optimum configuration. Optimum configuration is found for different hybrid systems and the results are compared