Techno-economic assessment of grid connected solar rooftop projects in India
Student name: Mr Saurabh Motiwala
Guide: Mr Amit Kumar
Year of completion: 2016
Host Organisation: Lahmeyer International India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Ishan Purohit
Abstract: The NSM of GoI has enthusiastically increased its target of solar power generation capacity from 20 GW to 100 GW by year 2022; which categorically specifies 40 GW capacity for grid connected RTS projects. Currently, the total installed capacity of solar projects stands at 7 GW with about 166 MW from grid connected RTS projects. The MNRE has proposed yearly targets from 2015-16 to 2021-22 to states for installation of grid connected RTS projects. The states of Maharashtra (4.7 GW), Uttar Pradesh (4.3 GW), Tamil Nadu (3.5 GW), Gujarat (3.2 GW) are expected to add more than 3 GW by the end of 2022. The solar tariffs of utility scale projects have reached below ₹5/unit due to aggressive reverse bidding. However, long term techno economic viability of these projects is still arguable. The present study analyses state/central policies and regulatory regimes for promotion of grid connected RTS projects and assess techno economics of these projects in pursuance of providing developers/investors with the best locations for implementation of these projects. The study was conducted for 34 different locations across India including state capitals/UTs and to recommend 20 best locations for installation of RTS projects.
Keywords: National Solar Mission (NSM), Rooftop solar (RTS), techno economics
