Techno-Economic Assessment of a Low-Temperature Solar Organic Rankine Cycle System

For the last couple of years, photovoltaics (PV) has been the preferred choice of technology for harnessing solar energy against Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). The major issue bogging down CSP is that it is not economical as compared to PV. Emerging technologies such as s-CO2 and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) could be the saviour for CSP going forward. To understand the techno-economics of a solar-ORC system, CSTEP and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), under SERIIUS project, worked together in assessing a low-temperature solar ORC system for off-grid applications.

Re-assessment of India’s On-shore Wind Power Potential

Till recently, the on-shore wind power potential in India was officially estimated to be 102 GW at a hub height of 80 m. About 26 GW of this potential has been installed in the country. However, there are multiple independent reassessment studies in the public domain that estimate the potential to be much higher. This is due to variations in assumptions and methodologies used.

Effect of Module Reliability on Techno-Economics of a Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Plant in India

With increasing contribution of solar PV based systems in our energy mix, it is crucial to understand their vulnerabilities. Various factors can affect the performance of PV systems. In this context, CSTEP explores questions such as: What is the effect of standard module degradation on plant techno-economics, for locations spread across different climate zones? What is the permissible rate of annual module degradation such that the plant remains financially viable? What is the effect of the cleaning cycle on plant techno-economics (via soiling losses)?