Optimal sizing design of an isolated stand-alone hybrid wind-hydrogen system for a zero-energy house

•A stand-alone hybrid wind-hydrogen energy system is designed and investigated.•The system is proposed for a zero-energy house with no connection to the grid.•The hybrid system has a wind turbine, and an electrolyzer and fuel cell.•The selection of the components is dictated by the actual wind data at the site.•The consumption profile at the house is based on real data. This study examines the feasibility and optimal sizing design of a stand-alone wind/hydrogen hybrid power system for a house in Catalca, Istanbul, Turkey. The considered house is a remote house with no connection to the power grid lines. The designed system guarantees uninterrupted, reliable continuous power to the house at any time. The site location of Catalca is very suitable for wind energy, and the considered hybrid wind/electrolyzer/fuel-cell power system is a good alternative for supplying the energy need of the house. If the reliability of the power supply is crucial, then optimal sizing of the components, wind turbine, electrolyzer, storage tank, and the fuel-cell stack is critical. In this study, a stand-alone hybrid power system with a wind turbine, electrolyzer, storage tank, and fuel-cell stack that can supply the house continuously is sized using 10-minute averaged wind data of the site and consumption data of the house. As a usual practice in the wind market, for stand-alone houses, usually wind turbines with rated powers equal to almost three times the average power consumption is used. Our analysis showed that when an uninterrupted continuous power supply is a necessity, wind turbines with rated powers of at least ten times the average consumption should be used. Moreover, our analysis showed that such a study that accounts for calculations of all system components in small timeframes is essential to ensure uninterrupted continuous power supply. And the results show that the system is capable of providing uninterrupted power to the house all-year long.