In this article, results are presented of annual simulations of a decentralized (regional) plant for the power and heat supply of a residential complex. This complex consists of four houses with 40 flats all in all. The annual power consumption of the complex is 157 MWh and the heat requirement is 325 MWh. The concrete dynamics of the energy demands over the year is taken into consideration. The energy supply system is composed of a power-controlled combined heat and power (CHP) plant (55 kW), a photovoltaic plant (PV array or PV plant) array for power generation as well as a field of solar thermal collectors with a short-term accumulator for water heating and a long-term accumulator for supplying heat for domestic heating purposes. Simulation results demonstrate that synergetic effects result from the combination of a CHP plant with wind power and PV plants of varying sizes, which have an effect on the cost effectiveness of the plant as a whole with the different dynamics of energy sources (wind and solar energies) and of the consumption of power and heat being the decisive factors. The power deficits of wind power and PV plants are compensated through the application of a natural gas-operated CHP plant. In almost all variants, the demand for fossil energy carriers is distinctly less than in conventional energy supply plants. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.