Author(s)

Mikel Elguezabal-Mendez¹, Ane Erviti², Egoi Erviti², Maitena de Elguezabal-Acosta², Amar Ferrer², Noelia Maillo-Aznares², Sergio Rodriguez²

¹Luis Elguezabal Aristizabal Foundation Civil Association, LEA, Cumaná, Venezuela.
²Ugazte Youth Centre, Huarte, Spain.

This theoretical study compares two renewable energy configurations—Unit A (photovoltaic-only, ground-mounted panels) and Unit B (hybrid solar-wind with elevated photovoltaic panels)—across varying surface areas (1, 5, 10, and 20 hectares) in four locations: Huarte/Uharte, Navarra (42.83˚N), Almería (36.84˚N), Sinaí (31˚N), and Ecuador (0˚ latitude). Unit B elevates solar panels 3 - 4 meters on posts to allow agricultural or animal activity beneath, integrating mini vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs)wind energy for day-and-night production. We project global photovoltaic capacity using a small-scale 1 m² prototype built by teenagers, we used Grok 3 X’s (xAI) to project outcomes, estimating energy output in GWh/day and potential increases in food production due to preserved agricultural land. Results show Unit B outperforms Unit A by up to 50% in high-wind regions (Sinaí, Almería) and seasons (winter, spring) in high-wind regions (e.g., Sinaí winter) and low-irradiance seasons, with full significant land use benefits. Global adoption of Unit B could enhance energy production by ~600 GWh/day. Adoption of Unit B globally could enhance energy production by up to 30% in different regions worldwide while freeing ~10 millions hectares for agriculture, supporting food security.

Agrivoltaics, Energetic Efficiency, AI Projections, Hybrid Generation, Teenagers Experiments

Elguezabal-Mendez, M. , Erviti, A. , Erviti, E. , Elguezabal-Acosta, M. , Ferrer, A. , Maillo-Aznares, N. and Rodriguez, S. (2025) Hybrid Solar-Wind Systems vs. Photovoltaic-Only Systems: A Comparative Analysis for Global Energy and Agricultural Land Use Optimization. Open Journal of Energy Efficiency, 14, 63-71. doi: 10.4236/ojee.2025.143004.