Abstract
In today’s world, due to the growing demands of technology and rise in population, there has been a tremendous pressure on the electricity demands. So far fossil fuels have been used to meet the demands, but since fossil fuels are finite and are getting depleted, the world needs to find alternative sources of energy. Also the use of fossil fuels like natural gas and oil has a hazardous effect on the environment because of the chemicals which pollute the air. Hence renewable sources such as solar energy, wind energy, biomass, etc. are being considered to meet the growing demands of energy. The ultimate goal of the project is find the best design in terms of cost for installing a power plant at any location considering the average hourly load profile of that location. Stand alone power systems are mainly benefited by small far away villages where it is difficult to supply power through the grid. This report aims at analyzing the renewable energy sources available in Rajasthan, India to help the small villages avail electricity. Sizing of the solar panels and wind turbines is of utmost importance. The report designs an algorithm which aims at calculating the size of solar alone, wind alone and solar-wind hybrid systems. This algorithm takes into consideration the average hourly profile of a small village in Rajasthan along with the average hourly insolation and wind profile of the same. This algorithm helps decide the minimum number of PV panels required for a solar alone design and number of wind turbines required for a wind alone design. The code also helps to decide how many PV panels and wind turbines are required for a hybrid design. Cost optimization plays a major role in designing a standalone power plant. The cost optimization with the help of sizing is a deciding factor of which design (solar alone, wind alone or hybrid) is suitable for a particular location. After calculating the size, cost optimization decides, which design will be the most optimum one to install. In this project it helps decide a standalone plant for small villages in Jaisalmer. By using our analysis, one can decide the best design in terms of size and cost to install stand alone power plants.