Modeling and analysis of solar thermal and biomass hybrid power plants
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Modeling was performed for solar thermal-biomass hybridization for power generation.
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Increment in capacity reduces the solar collector area per MW to 5,000 m2 (20 MW).
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Annual biomass requirement per MW reduced to 1600 tonnes at 20 MW scale.
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Hybrid mode of operation increases the plant capacity utilization from 23% to 47%.
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Cost of electricity by the hybrid plant is INR 6/kWh for plant capacities >5 MW.
Modeling of Solar and Biomass Hybrid Power Generation—a Techno-Economic Case Study
Solar power plants are expected to play a significant role in India’s power sector. The country plans to achieve an installed capacity of 100 GW by 2022. However, in a stand-alone mode, solar power plants are not able to deliver a consistent power supply, as per the demand requirement, to Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs). This is mainly because of the nature of intermittency associated with solar energy.