A potent new instrument developed by Indian scientists will increase the nation's generation of renewable energy. The hybrid power exploitability index was created by a team of researchers from Pandit Deendayal Energy University and can be used to determine the best sites for new solar and wind hybrid power plants as well as to determine whether retrofitting already-existing standalone facilities is feasible.
The fifth generation of software from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts was used by the researchers to analyze the wind and solar resources in India from 1979 to 2019 and find prospective hybrid solar and wind systems with installed capacity of 2.8 MW. According to the findings, hybridization could boost annual power generation in much of India to 10 GWh and up to 18 GWh in the western area.
The majority of Indian regions, according to the hybrid power exploitability index, are suited for peak-load demand hybrid installations, with southwest India being the best zone for handling base-load demand. The researchers also discovered that seven of the eight solar or wind power facilities evaluated may be successfully converted into hybrid power facilities, potentially increasing annual power output by 400%.
The researchers claimed that their methodology, which used India as a case study, could be applied in any other region of the world in a paper that was published in the proceedings of The 5th International Conference on Renewable Energy and Environment Engineering. They hope that the hybrid power exploitability index will aid in the selection of the best locations for more dependable and effective hybrid wind and solar power facilities by project developers and policymakers.
The creation of the hybrid power exploitability index represents a significant advancement in India's efforts to increase the production of renewable energy sources and lessen its reliance on fossil fuels. By identifying the ideal locations for hybrid power plants, this technique can maximize the utilization of natural resources while lowering carbon emissions.