Feasibility Study of Land-Less Alternative for Solar PV Repowering in India
摘要
In Indian power purchase agreements (PPA), there is a limit defined for maximum and minimum energy export to the grid. The actual capacity utilization factor (CUF%) of the plant remains in between the maximum and minimum range in PPA. As the installed solar PV power projects start aging, there is a significant reduction in energy output and to compensate for the same, repowering can be done by addition of DC capacity to improve the plant’s CUF and prevent crossing of minimum CUF limit. Repowering/revamping of the project can be done in different ways: addition of extra DC capacity or replacing the PV modules with higher capacity modules or by replacing the inverters to achieve higher DC-AC conversion efficiency. This paper explores the feasibility of repowering strategy by addition of DC capacity in a PV project by installing SPV Tree structures in the vacant land areas of the project. The use of the SPV tree structure can be beneficial in cases where there is no available land near the project boundary for expanding the DC capacity. Additionally, if a new land parcel is located far from the existing boundary, it could result in increased power losses due to laying of additional cables. This research is committed to the net zero carbon target and focuses on exploring the feasibility of repowering renewable energy projects within the existing plant's land area. The study aims to provide a sustainable solution that aligns with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 7, 9, and 13.