•A hybrid battery–supercapacitor energy storage was proposed for standalone renewable energy systems.•The operation of a passive connected HESS was examined via both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.•An experimental test bench was developed to validate the simulation results. In this study, a hybrid energy storage system (HESS), which combines battery for long-term energy management and supercapacitor for fast dynamic power regulation, is proposed for remote area renewable energy power supply systems. The operation of a passive connected HESS was examined via both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation using Matlab/Simulink. An electric inductor was further introduced to improve the performance of the HESS. An experimental test bench was developed to validate the simulation results. It was demonstrated that the HESS can stabilize energy provision, not only for the intermittent renewable energy (RE), but also for fluctuating load applications.