Operational Characteristics Assessment of a Wind–Solar–Hydro Hybrid Power System with Regulating Hydropower

Renewable energy generation technology, as an alternative to traditional coal-fired power generation, is receiving increasing attention. However, the intermittent characteristics of wind and solar energy pose certain challenges to the stable operation of power grids. This requires a better understanding of the operational characteristics of renewable energy to improve the comprehensive efficiency. To achieve this, firstly, four indicators (i.e., average fluctuation magnitude, Richards–Baker flashiness, average climbing rate, and change in the time-averaged value) within a single-evaluation-indicator framework are proposed to quantitatively evaluate the fluctuation characteristics of wind, solar, and hydropower and a wind–solar–hydro hybrid power system. Secondly, a comprehensive evaluation indicator is developed by scientifically assigning and recombining the four indicators using entropy weight theory. Furthermore, the comprehensive evaluation index is applied to the wind–solar–hydro hybrid power system to determine the operational characteristics of subsystems and a complementary system at different time scales. Finally, the load tracking coefficient and coupling degree are used to quantify the complementarity degree of the hybrid power system. It is found that the fluctuation degree of the hybrid power system is smaller than that of the individual power system. Meanwhile, both fluctuation and complementary characteristics are strengthened with the increase in time scale. The proposed methods and results shift the volatility from an abstract concept to concrete representation, providing a new perspective and reference for evaluating the operational characteristics of the hybrid power system to achieve power system planning and scheduling.