During the recent RENERGY 2014 renewable energy exhibition at Chennai Trade Center, representatives from Chemtrols Solar Pvt. Ltd. gave a presentation on their Diesel-PV (Solar) hybrid project commissioned at Alpine Knits, a textile mill in Tiruppur, near Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu, India.
A Diesel-PV (Solar) Hybrid system is a combination of solar energy and diesel generator, for generating electricity. In many areas around the country, especially the ones located away from major cities/outside SEZ parks, long power-cuts is a daily problem. To overcome this issue and continue production, they rely on electricity produced by diesel gensets. What many companies don't anticipate is the high costs of electricity that escalate quickly, due to ever increasing diesel prices, especially if the genset is used to generate any considerable energy on the long-term.
To offset this high cost of backup electricity, Chemtrols Solar, a popular EPC for Solar systems in India, has installed a Diesel-PV Hybrid system in Alpine Knits, Tamil Nadu. They say this installation is India's first Mega Watt sized PV-Diesel hybrid project. When installed, it was the largest hybrid system in Asia and second largest in the world.
There are three components that are available to the customer, based on what is the optimum/cost effective source at any given time, in this solution: Solar PV System + Diesel Generator + Grid Connectivity.
It seems, there is a single Diesel Generator (1.25 MW capacity) and 1 MW Solar power plant, in this set-up. As far as the solar PV system is concerned, they have installed both crystalline and thin-film panels. Since it is a textile unit, there is a sloping rooftop and the solar panels have been installed over it. They have also installed a water sprinkler system for automatic cleaning of solar PV modules.
On a particular day in June 2013, the following reading has been recorded onsite:
Total Load: 889 KW; Diesel Genset: 253 KW; Solar PV System: 629 KW.
As you can see, solar PV can generate a considerable amount of electricity and that directly translates into energy savings on the long run, esp. considering the ever increasing prices of diesel. There is a considerable capital investment (for Solar PV), but it is possible to recoup this investment in as little as 3 years, depending on the site requirements/conditions, Chemtrols officials mentioned.
Chemtrols Solar has already set an example in bringing large-scale Diesel-PV (Solar) Hybrid Technology to India. Is this technology the future of our energy-starved nation? Might very well be!
Also read this article for further info on Solar-PV hybrid systems.
