Design and Innovation in Small-Scale Hybrid Wind-Solar Turbines for Decentralized Energy Generation

The depletion of conventional energy resources and mounting environmental concerns have intensified global interest in hybrid renewable energy systems. This review examines the design and integration of a low-cost, small-scale horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) with a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel as a compact hybrid DC power module. A distinctive feature of the studied system is the use of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) pipe segments as rotor blades an approach that drastically reduces fabrication cost while delivering adequate aerodynamic performance at low wind speeds. Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory confirms that the five-blade uPVC rotor achieves a power coefficient (Cp) of 0.35 and a rated starting torque of 2.5 Nm at 2.5 m/s cut-in wind speed. The hybrid power management architecture employs dual charge controllers charging a common battery bank, enabling seamless solar- wind power combining with voltage stabilization for off-grid DC loads. Thirty peer-reviewed references spanning wind turbine aerodynamics, hybrid energy management, blade materials, MPPT strategies, and off-grid system design are synthesized to contextualize the novelty of this work.