DPR 50 MWP Rajasthan Thin Film 12-6-10-1-Libre

June 2010
Detailed project report (DPR) of 50 MW Solar

Thin Film Technology based grid-connected
Power Plant in Rajasthan
Prepared for
XXX Limited, Gurgaon
By
TRA International Limited
DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

power plant at Rajastahn
Version 1.5.1
Lead Consultants : TRA

INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
www.trainternational.com
Page 2 of 98
Affiliate Partner : CoDesign Engineering
Important Terms
Direct solar radiation: It is the solar radiation propagating along the line joining the receiving surface
and the sun. It is also referred as beam radiation. It is measured through pyrehiliometer.
Diffuse solar radiation: It is the solar radiation scattered by aerosols, dust and molecules. It does not
have a unique direction and also dose not follows the fundamental principals of optics. It is measured by
shading pyrenometer.
Global solar radiation: The global solar radiation is the sum of the direct and diffuse solar radiation
and is sometimes referred to as the global radiation. The most common measurements of solar
radiation are total radiation on a horizontal surface often referred to as global radiation on the surface.
It is measured by pyrenometer.
Irradiance: Irradiance is the rate at which radiant energy is incident on a surface, per unit area of
surface.
Albedo: It is essentially the ratio of reflected to incident light. The albedo of an object is a measure of
how strongly it reflects light from light sources such as the Sun.
Abbreviations
AC Alternate Current
a-Si - Amorphous Silicon
c-Si Crystalline Silicon
C - Degree Celsius
CERC Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
CdTe - Cadmium Telluride
DC Direct Current
DPR - Detailed Project Report,
EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment
EPA - Energy Purchase Agreement
IEC - International Electro-technical Commission
IEC 61646 - IEC standard code for PV module performance
IEC 61730 IEC standard code for product safety
IFC - International Finance Corporation
IP65 - International Protection Rating / Index Protection: classifies the degrees of protection
provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers),
dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures.
IREDA Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
ITPI IT Power India Pvt. Ltd.
ITPG - IT Power Group
Km Kilometre
KV - Kilovolt
KVA Kilovolt Ampere
KWh Kilowatt Hour
KWp Kilo Watt peak
LCC - Life cycle costs
MNRE Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
MVA Mega Volt Ampere
MW Megawatt
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MWh Megawatt Hour

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration US space agency
NASA-SSE NASA Surface meteorology and Solar Energy
NOC - No Objection Certificate
O&M - Operation and Maintenance
PCB Pollution Control Board
Poly-Si - Polycrystalline silicon
PV - Solar Photovoltaic
RETScreen A computer software developed by Natural Resource Centre Canada for
renewable energy project evaluation
RERC Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission
RRECL Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd.
RSEB Rajasthan State Electricity Board
RVPN Rajasthan Vidyut Prasara Nigam
SMA - SMA Solar Technology AG, manufacturer of solar inverters
SLEC State Level Empowered Committee
RPO Renewable Purchase Obligation
STC Standard Test Conditions of 1000 W/m2 irradiance, Air mass 1.5, 25 C cell
temperature.
T-Line Transmission line
UV Ultra Violet
V - Voltage
Wp Watt peak
WBA Wheeling & Banking Agreement
Project at a Glance
S. No.
Particulars
Description
1.
Project Site
Thakarba Village, Pokaran
2.
District Name
Jaisalmer (Tehsil Pokaran)
3.
Name of the State
Rajasthan
4.
Global Solar Irradiance on
6.44 kWh/m2/day
horizontal surface
5.
Solar PV Module Technology
Thin Film Technology
6.
Type of system
Ground mounted with seasonal tilt
7.
Type of PV Modules Considered
Amorphous Silicon single junction
for the offer

8.
Proposed Capacity
50 MW
9.
Projected Module Area Required Around 500 acres for whole power project
10.
Capacity of each Module
120 Wp / 220 Wp or any other compatible
proposed
size
11.
Inverters Capacity
200 Nos. of 250 kW each
12.
Projected Net Energy Production 106.97 Million units

per year
13.
Total Project Cost
Rs 89029.34 Lakh
14.
Debt Equity Ratio
70:30
15.
Equity from the Developer
Rs. 26708.80 lakh
16.
Project Owner
17.
Name of the customer of Power
Rajasthan State Electricity Board (RSEB)

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Detailed project report (DPR) of 50 MW Solar Thin Film

Technology based grid-connected Power Plant in
Rajasthan
PROMOTER COMPANY
XXX Ltd.
OFFICE ADDRESS
XXX, Gurgaon, HARYANA 122016
INDIA
NAME OF PROJECT HEAD
Mr. XXXXXX, Executive Vice President Business Development
CONTACT DETAILS : EPABX - XXXXXX
FAX - XXXXXX
[email protected]
BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE COMPANY
ADD MORE DETAIL
LEAD CONSILTANT COMPANY

TRA International Ltd.
OFFICE ADDRESS
XXX, New Delhi -110 003
INDIA
NAME OF PROJECT HEAD
Mr. XXXXXX
CONTACT DETAILS : [email protected] (Mobile : +91-XXXXXXXXXX)
NAME OF AFFILIATE
CoDESIGN Engineering Private Limited
Mr. XXXXX
CONTACT DETAILS : [email protected]
BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE COMPANY
Tra International Ltd. is an ISO 9001: 2008 certified company based in New Delhi, India and
has offices in the XXXXXX.
Tra International encompasses the areas of training programs, magazines, solar certifications,
solar engineering services, and sales. TRA International Ltd. encompasses the areas of:
CON-SOL > Consultancy Services for Large Projects such as Solar Power Plants, Solar Cities
TRA-IN > Training programs & Solar certifications,
PRO-TRA> Solar engineering and project services,
Sales through Franchisee network.
TRA International has one of Indias leading solar consulting teams. We have access to
international know-how, local knowledge and a very sound technical cadre.
Some recent projects:
Pre-Feasibility Study and DPR Preparation for 5MW Grid Connected solar Power Plant in
Punjab
Pre-Feasibility Study and DPR Preparation for 1 MW Grid Connected solar Power Plant in
Punjab : PROJECT SHORTLISTED
Pre-Feasibility Study and DPR Preparation for 1 MW Grid Connected solar Power Plant in
Rajasthan : PROJECT SHORTLISTED
Pre-Feasibility Study and DPR Preparation for Railway Station solarization project for
Kalmeshwar, Maharashtra
Pre-Feasibility Study, DPR preparation, and EPC Installation of Solar Steam Cooking System at
Shanti Kunj Ashram, Haridwar through UREDA for 1000 people per day.
Pre-Feasibility Study, DPR Preparation for 10KW Solar Power Plant at Aurobindo Ashram,
Orissa.
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Installation & Commissioning of Solar Water Heating System at Indian Ordinance Factory,
Chandrapur, Maharashtra.
Installation & Commissioning of Solar Water Heating System at Khajurao for North Central
Railways
Supply, Erection, Testing & Commissioning of Solar Street Lights at Orcha Railway Station for
North Central Railways
Pre-Feasibility Study, and EPC Installation of Solar Water Pump at several locations in Gir
Forest Range, Gujarat
Solution of Solar PV & Thermal at Shanti Devi Dharamshala, Khatu Shyam, Rajsthan
Main Features of the Project

Project promoter:- XXXX Limited, Gurgaon
Project location:- Village Thakarba, Tehsil- Pokaran, Jaisalmer
State :- Rajasthan
Proposed technology:- Thin Film Technology
Technology Supplier (PV Modules):- First Solars CdTe Thin Film Modules through
the technology tie-up vide TRA International Ltd.
Technology Supplier (Power Condition units) :- Sunny Central 250 through the
technology tie-up vide TRA International Ltd.
Design consultant:- TRA INTERNATIONAL Ltd., New Delhi
Plant capacity:- 50 MW
PV Module Type- Thin Film modules
PV Modules Required (area):- 714286 m
Total Area Required: - 1250000 m2
Annual global solar radiation 2350 kWh/m
Annual effective global solar radiation (on latitude) 2565 kWh/m
Annual average temperature 25.9 oC
Annual Gross Output:- 113,686,233 kWh
Annual Net Output:- 106,967,377 kWh
Miscellaneous PV array losses = 3%
Miscellaneous power conditioning losses = 3%
Expected PLF:- 24.4 %
Project implementation period:- 14 months
Estimated project cost:- Rs 85000 lakhs
Project IRR:- 20.6 %
Design Optimisation Software used:- RETScreen, METEONORM, ECOTECH
Site selection:- Site identified and suitability confirmed
Financial closure:- On approval of the project, promoters will approach banks/
IREDA for loan. Equity share capital is readily available.
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Section 1
Site Assessment
Thakarba Village (27o0544 North and 72o1337East) is located in Pokaran tahsil of
Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. Pokaran the place of five mirages town is located in
Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan. Pokhran located at 2655N and 7155E with an average
elevation of 233 meters. It is surrounded by rocky, sandy and five salt ranges. It has well road
and rail connectivity from Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner. DSC Limited India is planning to
install a solar energy based grid connected power project in Pokharan Tahsil of Jaisalmer,
Rajasthan under the first phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The
identified technology is solar thin films; while the capacity of proposed power plant is 50
MW. TRA International Limited has been selected by the company as project consultants and
for preparation of detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed plant. Figure 1.1 presents the
district map of Jaisalmer indicating the proposed site.
Proposed Location
Figure 1.1 District map of Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer

(Source: www.mapsofindia.com)
Jaisalmer district is located within a rectangle lying between 26.4 to 28.23' North parallel
and 69.20' to 72.42' East meridians. It is the largest district of Rajasthan and third largest in
the country in area. Jaisalmer District lies in the Thar Desert, which straddles the border of
India and Pakistan. It is bounded on the northeast by Bikaner District, on the east by Jodhpur
District, on the south by Barmer District, and on the west and north by Pakistan. The length of
international border attached to the district is 471 km. The area is barren, undulating with its
famous sand dunes and slopes towards the Indus valley and the Runn of Kutch. Figure 1.2
presents the satellite image of the region indicating the proposed site to setting up 50MW
solar PV power project.
Project Location
Village-Thakarba
Tehsil- Pokharan
District-Jaisalmer
Figure 1.2 Satellite map of Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer

The site engineers have carried out due deliberations relating to the proposed land which
includes requirement of land development, access to evacuation point, basic assessment of
soil etc. The current site has been selected based on the assessment of at least 15 sites in the
region by taking in to account the land type, soil, shading and power evacuation facilities etc.
Thakarba village is located on the Link road of Phokharak-Phalodi road which further
connects Bap oh Jodhpur district to jaisalmer. The location is located 25-30 km far from
Bap, Phalodi.
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Phalodi is a small town located in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. It is situated between
latitude 27.06oN to 27.09oN and 72.3oE to 72.23E. It has an average elevation of 303 meters.
Phalodi is also called the "salt city" due to the concentration of a large number of salt
industries located in the area. Bap is the nearest town located nearby national Highway-15
from the Site-1 of Jodhpur which also contains railway connectivity. The geographical
coordinates of the proposed land of Jaisalmer district are 27o0544N and 72o1337E.
Following observations have been made from the site assessment;
Thakarba is located around 25-30 from Pokharan Tahsil of Jaisalmer district
Bap, Phalodi towns of Jodhpur district are nearby towns and are connected with
national Highway (NH-15) and also with rail
The total land availability is around 1138 Beghas
The available land is spread over multiple Khasaras namely 943, 842, 854, 855 and
857.
The nearest sub-station for power evacuation is about 22 km from the Site.
PS-1 is the nearest grid substation from the site
The specification of PS-1 substation is 132/33 kV.
The Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP) Canal is located from the proposed land
around 12-15 km.
Ground water is the secondary source and the ground water level is approximate 40-45
meters; which is highly saline.
Land
The total land available at the site is around 1138 beghas; which is sufficient to set up
approximately 50 MW solar PV project if thin film technology is used. The land is essentially
desert, upper layer is stable and with scattered scabs, and too flat and seems very favourable
for the solar projects. It has been analyzed that negligible civil work is required towards
making land flat for implementing the project. The photographs of Site taken from different
direction are given below in Table 1.1.
A number of project developers who are applying for implementation of large scale Solar
Power Projects have been identified and finalized the land in this and bank. The land bank is
also a part of Solar Park concept of Clinton Climate Initiate (CCI) of Clinton Foundation,
USA. The Khasara maps of the land are presented in Figures 1.3.
Table 1.1 Photographs of Proposed Site Village- Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer
Photo 1- South
view of the Site
Thakarba
(Pokharan),
Jaisalmer

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Photo 2- Site is
spread over both
sides of the
connecting Road
Photo 3- Other
direction of Site
Photo 4- Site is
adjacent to the link
road

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Photo 5- IGNP
canal is 8-10 from
the Site
Photo 6- PS-1 is
the nearest 132 kV
Substation

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Figure 1.3. Land documents and Khasara map of map of Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer
Connectivity
Airport
Jaisalmer has an airport located 9 km far from the city; which is a small airport operated by
the Indian Air Force but indeed allows the arrival and departure of civil commercial airlines
in and out of the airport especially during the tourist season between the time span around the
arrival of winter and before setting of the summer. Located at a distance of about 9 km away
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from the city center of Jaisalmer, it is situated on an elevation of 887 feet. Jodhpur is the
nearest airport from the city which operates over the year.
Road Connectivity
To reach Jaisalmer by road is an excellent option as the city is well connected with major
north Indian cities by road. The road network in Jaisalmer is extremely well linked with cities
of the state like Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Udaipur etc. There is very good network of city
roads also where all modes of vehicular transport communications operate. Jaisalmer city is
connected with National Highway-15 and have a wide establish road network in the district.
NH-15 connects the district with Bikaner and Barmer. Figure 1.4 presents the road map of
Bikaner district indicating the proposed sites.
Proposed Location
Figure 1.4 Road Map of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan indicating the proposed Site
Driving Directions:
Road connectivity from Jodhpur is as follows - 160 km east from Jpdhpur to Phaodi, 40
km east to Bap, 25 km north to Nokh, and 15 km to the site
Rail Connectivity
Jaisalmer is the terminus of a Broad gauge branch railway of Indian Railways, which joins
with the main system at Jodhpur. Jaisalmer is a popular tourist destination and therefore
although the Jaisalmer railway station has only meter gauge trains, the tourist inflow in the
station is quite steady. The Jaisalmer Railway Station has regular trains that connect Jaisalmer
with Jaipur and with other cities of North India. The luxury train 'Palace on wheels' passes
through this station. Figure 1.5 presents the rail network of Jaisalmer district. The nearest
railway station to the site is Bap, with daily trains.
Proposed Location
Figure 1.5 Rail Map of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan indicating the proposed Site
Water Availability
In PV power plants water is required only for cleaning of the PV modules. The location has
water access through IGNP canal which is located around 10-12 km far from the proposed
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location. However the groundwater is also available on the land but the quality of water is
reported as highly saline by the water resource department of the state.
Power Evacuation Facility
The electricity generated through solar PV power plant is proposed to feed in to grid sub
station PS-1 of the capacity of 132/33 kV; which is located in range of 20-22 km from the
project location. From the site visit of PS substation it has been observed that there is enough
capacity of substation to evacuate the power from 50 MW solar power project. The grid
availability has been reported as more than 95%; however up gradation of the substation is
also possible.
Figure 1.6 Transmission map of Proposed Site

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Section 2
Solar Radiation Resource Assessment

The electrical output of a PV plant is dependent on the solar radiation it receives. Outside the
Earths atmosphere, on a surface normal to the solar beam, the power density is 1,365W/m2.
As the solar radiation passes through the atmosphere, some of it is scattered and absorbed, the
amount depending on the length of the atmospheric path traversed by the solar radiation and
the quantity of dust, water vapour, ozone, carbon dioxide and other aerosols and gases
present. About one half of the scattered energy is returned to the earth as diffused radiation
from the sky. The diffused radiation plus the direct irradiance from the sun are together
termed as total irradiance. The total irradiance on a horizontal surface is called the global
irradiance. The diffused sunlight can vary from about 20% on a clear day to 100% in heavily
overcast conditions. The peak irradiance of 1,000W/m2 has been taken as the standard value
by which PV modules are rated. Hence, a 50MW PV Power plant will generate 50MW of
electricity in an irradiance of 1000W/m2 and a cell temperature of 25oC and Air Mass 1.5.
However, the total solar energy received in a day over a specific area is more important than
the instantaneous solar irradiance. This is called daily solar irradiance or insolation and is
expressed as kWh/m2/day. The solar resource is not equally available in all regions of the
world. On a clear day in the tropics, when the sun is overhead, the global irradiance can
exceed 1000W/m2 but in high latitude it rarely exceeds 850W/m2. Similarly, daily solar
insolation may be 5-7kWh/m2/day in the tropics but could be less than 0.5kWh/m2/day in high
latitudes.
Historically, climatological profiles of insolation and meteorology parameters calculated from
ground measurements have been used for determining the viability of Renewable Energy
Technology (RET) projects. These climatological profiles are used for designing systems that
have low failure rates. Although ground measurement data has been used successfully in the
past for implementing RETs, there are inherent problems in using them for resource
assessment. Ground measurement stations are located throughout the world, but they are
situated mainly in populated regions. In remote areas (where many RETs are implemented)
measurement stations are limited.
Also, at any particular station, data recording can be sporadic leading to incomplete
climatological profiles; and, data inconsistencies can occur within a station and from one
station to another. In contrast to ground measurements, the Surface meteorology and Solar
Energy (SSE) data set is a continuous and consistent 22-year global climatology of insolation
and meteorology data on a 1 by 1 grid system. Although the SSE data within a particular
grid cell are not necessarily representative of a particular microclimate, or point, within the
cell, the data are considered to be the average over the entire area of the cell. In utilizing the
SSE data set, an estimate of the renewable energy resource potential can be determined for
any location on the globe. That estimate is considered to be accurate enough for feasibility
studies of new renewable energy projects.
Solar Radiation over India

India being a tropical country is blessed with good sunshine over most parts, and the number
of clear sunny days in a year also being quite high. Indias equivalent solar energy potential is
about 6,000 million GWh of energy per year. Being a tropical country, India is blessed with
good sunshine over most parts, and the number of clear sunny days in a year also being quite
high. India is in the sunny belt of the world. The country receives solar energy equivalent to
more than 5,000 trillion kWh per year.

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Figure 2.1 Solar radiation map of India

The daily average global radiation is around 5 .0 kWh/m2 in north-eastern and hilly areas to
about 7.0 kWh/m2 in western regions and cold dessert areas with the sunshine hours ranging
between 2300 and 3200 per year. In most parts of India, clear sunny weather is experienced
for 250 to 300 days a year. The annual global radiation varies from 1600 to 2200 kWh/m2.
Figure 2.1 presents the global solar radiation map of India based on the measured data of
Indian Meteorological Department. This section covers the detailed-feasibility assessment of
solar radiation resource Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer.
Solar Radiation over Rajasthan

The north-west part of the country is best suited for solar energy based projects because the
location receives maximum amount of solar radiation annually in the country. Figure 2.2
presents the global solar radiation map based on satellite data of the North-Western region of
India focusing on Rajasthan, developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL),
USA.
Figure 2.2 Annual Global Solar Radiation Map of India

(Source: www.nrel.gov and www.mnre.gov.in)
According to the annual average global solar radiation map developed by NREL; the northwestern parts of India receives highest solar radiation (> 6.0 kWh/m2/Day) over the year and
maximum places of the region lies under the hot and dry and composite climatic zones1 of
India. In order to enhance the solar radiation over any surface the collectors/PV panels are
installed either on stationary or tracking conditions. The global solar radiation map over
inclined surface (i.e. latitude of the location) developed by NREL using satellite data is
presented in Figure 2.3; which indicates that Jaisalmer and Jodhpur regions of Rajasthan
receives maximum annual average global solar radiation.
Figure 2.3. Annual Global Solar Radiation Map of India

(Source: www.nrel.gov and www.mnre.gov.in)
There are six major climatic zones in India namely Composite (i.e. New Delhi, Indore), Hot and Dry (i.e.
Jodhpur, Jaisalmer), Warm and Humid (i.e. Hyderabad, Mumbai), Cold and Sunny (i.e. Leh), Cold and Cloudy
(i.e. Shimla, Srinagar) and Moderate (i.e. Banglore, Pune).

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Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer district is located within a rectangle lying between 26.4 to 28.23' North parallel
and 69.20' to 72.42' East meridians. It is the largest district of Rajasthan and third largest in
the country in area. Jaisalmer District lies in the Thar Desert, which straddles the border of
India and Pakistan. It is bounded on the northeast by Bikaner District, on the east by Jodhpur
District, on the south by Barmer District, and on the west and north by Pakistan. The length of
international border attached to the district is 471 km. The area is barren, undulating with its
famous sand dunes and slopes towards the Indus valley and the Runn of Kutch. Jaisalmer is
almost entirely a sandy waste, forming a part of the Great Indian Desert. The general aspect of
the area is that of an interminable sea of sand hills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a
height of 150 ft. Those in the west are covered with log bushes, those in the east with tufts of
long grass. Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be
about 250 ft.
Jaisalmer lies in the Hot and Dry Climatic Zone of India. The climate of Jaisalmer is
influenced by its position amidst the Great Indian Desert. The region experiences an arid
climate through the year. The temperature remains low during the winter season while
summers are characterized by cold and dry Jaisalmer weather. The region is drained by very
scanty rainfall during the monsoon season. The climate of Jaisalmer during the winter season
remains cold and dry. The day temperature rises to a maximum of 24 oC while the night time
temperatures fall to 7 or 8 oC. The winter season lasts between the months of November and
February. The summer season in Jaisalmer is defined by the hot and sultry weather. The
temperature during the day reaches a maximum of 42 oC. At night the temperatures fall to 25
o
C. The season lasts between the months of April to August. The region does not experience
a well defined monsoon season. The average rainfall is only 16.4 cms as against the state
(Rajasthan) average of 57.51 cms.
Jaisalmer City
The geographical location of the city falls between North Latitude 26 01' and East Longitude
69 03'. It has an average elevation of 243 meters. Jaisalmer has an average elevation of
229 meters. It is situated near the border of India and Pakistan in West Rajasthan, and covers
an area of 5.1 km. The maximum summer temperature is more than 45C while the minimum
is 25C. The maximum winter temperature is usually around 23.6C and the minimum is
7.9C. The average rainfall is 150 mm. The region experiences an arid climate through the
year. The temperature remains low during the winter season while summers are characterized
by cold and dry Jaisalmer weather. The region is drained by very scanty rainfall during the
monsoon season. The maximum temperature rises above the 42 in summer Centigrade mark
and in winter, the temperature comes down to 7 to 6 Centigrade. All throughout the year, the
days are very warm but in the evenings the temperature drops quite a few degrees.
Solar radiation over Village-Thakarba , Pokharan

The proposed project site is situated in the Pokaran district of the Rajasthan State in India.
The distance from the district headquarters Pokaran to the site is 32 km (by road) towards the
north. Pokaran is 109 km (by road) to the east of Jaisalmer and 180 km (by road) to the north
west of Jodhpur. The nearest meteorological station for solar data is in Jodhpur. The solar
data collected in this station is available in the Solar Radiation Handbook 2008, published
by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and in the Handbook of Solar
Radiation, compiled by Anna Mani. In this exercise, solar data for Global solar irradiance
is taken from NASA-SSE, Meteonorm and the Solar Radiation Handbook 2008. Global solar
irradiance for the proposed site, Jaisalmer is compared with the Jodhpur ground data. Figure
2.4 presents the sstereographic Sun-path Diagram for Balachor.
Stereographic Diagram
Lo c a tio n : 2 7 . 0 , 7 2 .1
Su n P o sit io n : 1 5 2. 7 , 6 4. 6
3 4 5
H S A: 1 5 2 .7
VS A : 1 1 2 .8
15
3 3 0
30
10
31 5
45
20
30
300
60
40
6
1 st Ju l
1 st Au g
50
19
60
285
18
1 st S e p
70
17
15
27 0
1 st O c t
14
13
12
1st
7 5M
ay
80
16
1 st Ju n
9
11
1 st Ap r
10
9 0
1 st M a r
1 st
2 5N5o v
105
1 st F eb
1 st D e c
1 st Jan
240
120
22 5
1 3 5
DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV Lead Consultants : TRA
2 1 0INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Version 1.5.1
1 9 5
T ime : 1 2 :0 0
D a te : 1 st Ap r (9 1 )
D o tt e d lin e s: July-D e c em b er .
180
Page 30 of 98
15 0
165
Figure 2.4 Stereographic Sun-path Diagram for Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer

The sun-path diagram of the proposed location indicates that availability is sun at the location
is 8-10 hours in winters; while 10-12 hours in summer months. The number of annual
effective sunshine hours seems high at the location. The utilizability of the solar radiation
availability is function of the technical specification of identified technology. The
orthographic sun-path diagram of the selected project location is presented in Figure 2.5.
Orthographic Projection
D a te / T ime : 1 2 :0 0 , 1 st A p r
L o c a tio n : 2 7 .0 , 7 2 .1
D o tte d lin e s: Ju ly-D e c e mb e r.
S u n P o sitio n : 1 5 2 .7 , 6 4 .6
H S A : 1 5 2 .7 , V S A : 1 1 2 .8
90
13
12
80
14
70
11
15
60
10
50
16
9
40
17
30
8
18
20
7
10
19
6
ALT
N o rth
30
60
90
120
150
S o u th
210
240
270
300
330
N o rth
Figure 2.5 Orthographic Sun-path Diagram for Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer
Solar resource assessment

Usually satellite data is not recommended as it is based on some empirical mathematical
regression relationships; but it might have better confidence level for Global Radiation. The
ground measurements are most preferable in large scale solar power projects. Hence in the
present study we have taken solar radiation data (global and diffuse) from the Handbook of
Solar Radiation which contains IMD data for solar radiation resource assessment.
It has been observed that Jaisalmer receives 4.61 kWh/m2 (January) to 8.24 kWh/m2 (June)
global solar radiation over the year on horizontal surface; while the diffuse solar radiation
varies from 0.80 kWh/m2 (November) to 2.12 (July) kWh/m2 annually. In order to check the
reliability of satellite data from NASA interface, a comparative graph is presented in Figure
2.6; which indicates that the satellite data underestimates the solar radiation for the respective
location.
9.0
Daily Global Solar Radiation (kWh/m )
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
IMD_Global Solar Radiation (kWh/m2)
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
NASA_Global Solar Radiation (kWh/m2)
Figure 2.6 Comparison of Daily Global Solar Radiation values of IMD and NASA
(Source: Handbook of Solar Radiation by A. Mani, and
http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/sse/RETScreen, TRA Analysis)
In order to receive higher solar energy input, solar PV modules are inclined towards south (in
northern hemisphere). The angle of inclination for through out the year load is selected as
equivalent to the latitude of the location. Table 2.1 presents the daily availability of Global,
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Diffuse and Direct solar radiation solar radiation along with Global solar Radiation on
inclined surface (i.e. global solar radiation over the latitude of the location).
Table 2.1 Monthly average daily values (kWh/m2) of Global, Diffuse and Direct solar
radiation for Jaisalmer on horizontal, and Global Solar Radiation over inclined surface
Months
Global Solar
Radiation,
(kWh/m2 Day)
Diffuse Solar
Radiation
(kWh/m2 Day)
Direct Solar
Radiation,
(kWh/m2 Day)
Jan
4.61
0.86
3.74
Global solar
radiation over
latitude
(kWh/m2 Day)
6.47
Feb
5.56
1.01
4.55
7.07
Mar
6.49
1.31
5.18
7.27
Apr
7.48
1.35
6.13
7.47
May
8.11
1.29
6.82
7.41
Jun
8.24
1.37
6.87
7.22
Jul
7.44
2.12
5.32
6.68
Aug
7.08
2.02
5.06
6.82
Sep
6.81
1.42
5.39
7.28
Oct
6.06
0.92
5.14
7.44
Nov
5.00
0.80
4.20
6.88
Dec
4.36
0.82
3.54
6.34
Average
6.44
7.03
Taking the number of days in each month as multiplication factor with the values reported in
Table 2.1 the annual value of global solar radiation on horizontal and inclined surfaces has
been achieved. The monthly average daily values of Global solar radiation on horizontal and
inclined (at latitude of the location) surfaces are summarized in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2 Monthly total values (kWh/m2) of solar radiation for Jaisalmer over horizontal and
inclined surfaces (latitude)
Months
Global Solar
Radiation,
(kWh/m2 Day)
Diffuse Solar
Radiation
(kWh/m2 Day)
Direct Solar
Radiation,
(kWh/m2 Day)
Jan
142.8
26.8
116.1
Global solar
radiation over
latitude
(kWh/m2 Day)
200.7
Feb
155.7
28.2
127.5
197.9
Mar
201.1
40.6
160.5
225.4
Apr
224.4
40.5
183.8
224.1
May
251.5
40.1
211.5
229.7
Jun
247.3
41.2
206.1
216.6
Jul
230.6
65.8
164.9
207.2
Aug
219.6
62.6
157.0
211.3
Sep
204.3
42.7
161.6
218.4
Oct
187.9
28.6
159.3
230.5
Nov
149.9
23.9
125.9
206.5
Dec
135.2
25.4
109.8
196.4
Total
2350
466
1884
2565

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The annual global solar radiation has been observed as 2350 kWh/m2 at the location of
Jaisalmer; while the diffuse and beam radiation have been observed as 460 kWh/m2 and
1884 kWh/m2 respectively on horizontal surface. It has been determined that the location
receives around annual global solar radiation 2565 kWh/m2 over the inclined surface at the
latitude of the location. Figure 2.7 presents the monthly total values of global solar radiation
over horizontal and inclined surfaces at the proposed site of Jaisalmer.
Monthly Global Solar Radiation (kWh/m )
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Global Solar Radiation (kWh/m2)_Horizontal
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Global Solar Radiation (kWh/m2)_Incliend (Latitude)
Figure 2.7 Annual Solar Radiation Resource Assessment of Jaisalmer
(Source: Handbook of Solar Radiation by A. Mani, RETScreen software and TRA Analysis)

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Table 2.3 presents the monthly average, maximum and minimum values of above parameters
for the location of Jaisalmer. The data obtained from the statistical analysis is reported in
Annexure-I which contains daily values (average, maximum and minimum) of above
parameters.
Table 2.3 Monthly average daily values (average, maximum, minimum) of climatic parameters for
Jaisalmer
Month
Jan
Ambient
Temperature (oC)
Max Min Average
23.1 6.6
15.2
Relative Humidity
Wind Speed
(%)
(m/s)
Max Min Average Max Min Average
78.5 28.4
49.6
3.0
0.0
1.3
Max
0.039
Rainfall
(mm)
Min Average
0.002
0.000
Feb
26.3
11.4
19.2
78.6
30.4
49.0
3.4
0.0
1.4
0.129
0.000
0.008
Mar
30.7
16.2
24.2
65.4
27.2
41.9
3.7
0.1
1.7
0.119
0.000
0.006
Apr
37.6
22.7
30.8
70.7
22.9
41.3
4.6
0.6
2.5
0.087
0.000
0.003
May
41.1
25.9
34.0
71.5
20.0
39.7
4.8
0.7
2.6
0.000
0.000
0.000
Jun
39.7
27.1
33.7
81.3
32.3
53.2
5.2
1.3
3.1
1.553
0.000
0.063
Jul
36.1
26.6
31.3
89.1
50.3
68.9
5.0
1.5
3.2
1.410
0.000
0.085
Aug
35.3
25.5
30.1
88.5
48.0
68.2
5.2
1.4
3.2
3.068
0.000
0.167
Sep
36.4
24.9
30.5
85.1
36.4
58.9
4.2
0.9
2.5
1.117
0.000
0.049
Oct
36.6
20.6
28.8
63.0
21.3
38.0
2.6
0.2
1.3
0.000
0.000
0.000
Nov
29.7
15.8
22.8
72.6
27.8
47.2
3.2
0.3
1.6
0.013
0.000
0.001
Dec
24.5
10.3
17.4
76.3
33.4
53.8
2.7
0.2
1.3
0.974
0.000
0.071
Climatic Study
Apart from the solar radiation availability the climatic (ambient temperature, humidity etc.)
and microclimatic parameters (wind speed, dust level etc.) make significant impact on the
performance of solar PV system. Using the METEONORM database following climatic
parameters have been analyzed in detail;
Ambient temperature
Relative humidity and
Prevailing wind speed
Figures 2.8 to 2.10 represent monthly average ambient temperature, relative humidity and
prevailing wind speed (with minimum and maximum) at the location of Pokhran, Jaisalmer.
35
25
Ambient Temperature ( C)
30
20
15
10
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Figure 2.8 Monthly average ambient temperature over Pokhran, Jaisalmer

(Source: TRA analysis and RETScreen Database)

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70
60
Rela tive Humidity (%)
50
40
30
20
10
0
Jan
Fe b
M ar
Apr
May
Jun
J ul
Aug
Se p
Oct
Nov
Dec
Figure 2.9 Monthly average relative humidity over Pokharan, Jaisalmer

Wind Speed (% )
0
Jan
Fe b
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Se p
Oct
Nov
Dec
Figure 2.10 Monthly pattern of wind speed over Pokharan, Jaisalmer

Table 2.6 presents the monthly maximum, average and minimum values of ambient
temperature, relative humidity and wind speed for the location of Pokhran, Jaisalmer.
Table 2.6 Monthly average daily values (average, maximum, minimum) of climatic
parameters for Pokhran, Jaisalmer
Month
Ambient Temperature
(oC)
Max Average Min
Relative Humidity
Wind Speed
(%)
(m/s)
Max Average Min Max Average
Min
Jan
18.94
12.85
6.82
94.6
74.3
54.9
1.55
0.85
0.34
Feb
21.24
14.74
8.05
91.9
70.3
50.7
1.91
1.03
0.44
Mar
26.45
19.42
11.98
87.3
64.5
45.0
2.26
1.15
0.41
Apr
34.19
26.42
17.96
67.4
45.8
29.2
2.18
1.13
0.36
May
38.04
31.11
23.30
58.5
40.1
26.6
2.12
1.26
0.60
Jun
37.72
32.50
26.46
68.4
51.7
38.2
2.99
1.35
0.33
Jul
34.05
30.64
26.77
85.7
71.9
59.7
2.25
1.21
0.50
Aug
32.19
28.80
25.18
94.3
81.5
69.2
2.13
1.11
0.42
Sep
32.82
28.12
23.16
92.7
77.4
62.6
2.03
1.01
0.35
Oct
31.84
24.89
17.75
90.1
68.8
49.5
1.41
0.71
0.23
Nov
26.73
18.72
10.76
94.2
71.8
49.9
1.13
0.52
0.16
Dec
21.29
14.16
6.89
96.6
76.0
55.1
1.18
0.62
0.20

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Section 3
Solar Photovoltaic Technologies

Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) technology is primarily a solid-state semiconductor- based
technology, which converts a fraction of the incident solar radiation (photons) in to direct
electricity. PV system can deliver electric energy to a specific appliance and/or to the electric
grid. Photovoltaic systems are flexible and modular; hence the technology can be
implemented on virtually any scale size, connected to the electricity network or used as standalone or off grid systems, easily complementing other energy sources. PV offers several
advantages viz;
Complementarierities with other energy resources; both conventional and renewable
Flexibility towards implementation and
Environmental advantages.
Photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years, increasing by an average of 48
percent each year since 2002, making it the worlds fastest-growing energy technology. At the
end of 2007, according to preliminary data, cumulative global production was 12,400 MW.
Roughly 90% of this generating capacity consists of grid0tied electrical systems. At the end
of 2007, the cumulative global production of solar PV systems was 12,400 megawatts.
Roughly 90% of this generating capacity consists of grid-tied electrical systems. Such
installations may be ground-mounted or building integrated.
Grid-connected solar photovoltaics (PV) continues to be the fastest-growing power generation
technology in the world, with 50 percent annual increases in cumulative installed capacity in
both 2006 and 2007, to an estimated 7.8 GW by the end of 2007. This capacity translates into
an estimated 1.5 million homes with rooftop solar PV feeding into the grid worldwide.
Germany accounted for half the global market in 2006, with on the order of 8501,000 GW
added. Grid-connected solar PV increased by about 300 MW in Japan, 100 MW in the United
States, and 100 MW in Spain in 2006.
Basically, two different approaches are being distinguished in the manufacturing of
photovoltaic modules: the crystalline technologies and the thin-film technologies. The
crystalline silicon solar cells are the most widely used solar cells for numerous applications,
from space applications to village electrification. At present, bulk silicon in mono crystalline
and multi crystalline form is the principal cell technology; and this dominance is likely to
continue for some years.
Solar PV system
A PV system essentially consists of modules (array of solar cells generating the electricity)
and a balance of system (BoS) including the cabling, battery, charge controller and DC/AC
inverter, as well as other components and support. Most of the systems are in flat-plate
(having a fixed orientation) variety but these might be use sun-tracking (single or double axis)
concentrators in order to achieve high radiation on a small area and hence higher efficiency.
The storage system (batteries) is not required in grid connected SPV systems.
Solar PV module is the smallest PV unit that can be used to generate substantial amounts of
PV power. Although individual PV cells produce only small amounts of electricity, PV
modules are manufactured with varying electrical outputs ranging from a few watts to more
than 100 watts of direct current (DC) electricity. The modules can be connected into PV
arrays for powering a wide variety of electrical equipment. The system components of SPV
Water Pumping System are:
PV Array
Battery Bank
Interface Electronics
Connecting Cables & Switches
Support Structure & Tracking System
Charge Controller Unit
Electrical loads, such as fans, lights, TV, etc.
AC Loads
PV ARRAY
Inverter / Power
Conditioner
Distribution
Panel
Electric
Utility

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Figure 3.1. Schematic of grid-connected photovoltaic system

In every configuration all these components are not used. Components used depend upon the
type of configuration, which in other way depend upon the application. For example: Storage
battery is not used in case of direct coupled PV system and inverter is not used for DC load.
Solar cell
Solar cells represent the fundamental power conversion unit of a photovoltaic system, which
has much in common with other solid-state electronic devices, such as diodes, transistors and
integrated circuits. For practical operation, solar cells are usually assembled into modules. Its
operation is based on the ability of semiconductors to convert sunlight directly into electricity
by exploiting the photovoltaic effect. In the conversion process, the incident energy of light
creates mobile charged particles in the semiconductor, which are then separated by the device
structure and produce electricity.
Due to variety of reasons including the concerns of deteriorating earth atmosphere and global
warming, the PV technology has seen large increase in solar panel manufacturing and
deployment world over, particularly in Japan and Germany. About 30-40% growth in the
sector in last few years is a great incentive for investment. Based on the different technologies
and materials, the solar cell technology has been grouped in four different generations. The
first generation solar cells are of large area, single-crystal, single layer p-n junction diode,
capable to generate usable electricity from light sources with the wavelengths of sunlight.
These are typically made using diffusion process with silicon wafers. The silicon wafer-based
solar cells are the dominant technology towards commercial production of solar cells
accounting for more than 85% of the terrestrial solar cell market.
The second generation photovoltaic cells are based on the use of thin epitaxial deposits of
semiconductors on lattice-matched wafers. Epitaxial photovoltaics are of two types namely
space and terrestrial. The space cells typically have higher AM0 efficiencies (28-30%) in
production, but have a higher cost per watt. Their thin-film cousins have been developed
using lower-cost processes, but have lower AM0 efficiencies (7-9%) in production.
There are currently a number of technologies/semiconductor materials under investigation or
in mass production mainly amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, micro-crystalline
silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide or sulfide. An advantage of thin-film
technology theoretically results in reduced mass so it allows fitting panels on light or flexible
materials, even on textiles. Second generation solar cells now comprise a small segment of the
terrestrial photovoltaic market, and approximately 90% of the space market.
Thin-film PV still represents a small share of global solar PV production, about 68 percent in
2006. But thin film gained acceptance as a mainstream technology during2006/2007, due
partly to manufacturing maturity and lower production costs and partly to its advantage in
terms of silicon feedstock it requires just one-hundredth as much silicon as conventional cells.
The third-generation photovoltaic cells are proposed to be very different from the previous
semiconductor devices as they do not rely on a traditional p-n junction to separate photogenerated charge carriers. For space applications quantum well devices (quantum dots,
quantum ropes, etc.) and devices incorporating carbon nanotubes are being studied - with a
potential up to 45% AM0 production efficiency.
The fourth generation of photovoltaic cells are the hypothetical generation of solar cells;
which may consist of composite photovoltaic technology, in which polymers with nanoparticles can be mixed together to make a single multi-spectrum layer. The multi-spectrum
layers can be stacked to make multi-spectrum solar cells more efficient and cheaper.
The last two generations of solar cells are still at research and development stage. It will take
some more years to understand the underlying science and technology to bring them to
commercial level. For terrestrial applications, these new devices include photo
electrochemical cells, polymer solar cells, nano-crystal solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells
and are still in the research phase. Dye-sensitized solar cells, which are cheaper than silicon
cells, consist of dye-coated titanium dioxide nano-particles immersed in an electrolyte
solution, which is sandwiched between glass plates. These solar cells consist of titanium
oxide nano-crystals that are coated with light-absorbing dye molecules and immersed in an
electrolyte solution, which is sandwiched between two glass plates or embedded in plastic.
The first two generations of solar cells are commercialised. The efficiency of crystalline
silicon modules varies from 17-22%, though theoretical limit is around 29%. Efficiency of a
solar cell depends on its ability to absorb solar radiation. Larger the fraction of solar radiation
it absorbs, larger will be its efficiency and larger power it will generate. Taking this into
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account, multi-junction solar cells have been fabricated. The efficiency of triple junction, state
of the art solar cell of 40.7% has been recorded by Spectrolab, USA. The R&D work to
improve efficiency further is going on by using 4, 5 or 6 junction solar cells. Using these high
efficiency solar cells and focusing solar light to 500X, high efficiency solar concentrator has
been devised to give electrical power of few KWp, enough to light up a household of small
family. The use of light reflector have reduced the actual device size of the device, thus
reducing the usage and price of much costlier semiconductor materials.
Classification of Solar Cell Technologies

Depending upon the type of absorbing material used, manufacturing technique / process
adopted, and type of junction formed etc., the solar cell technologies can be broadly classified
as following.
Wafer based crystalline silicon solar cells
Thin-film solar cells, which includes, Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS),
Cadmium Telluride, Amorphous silicon (a-Si) etc.
Emerging technologies such as thin-film silicon, dye sensitized solar cells; polymer
organic solar cells etc.
Wafer based
Silicon
(MS: 90.6 %)
Solar Cell
Thin film
(MS: 9.4 %)
Mono Crystalline
(MS: 38.3%)
Multi Crystalline
(MS: 52.3 %)
a Si (M S: 4.7 %)
Sheet/ribbon Si
(M S: 4.7 %)
Compound semiconductor
(CDTe, CIGS)
(MS: 1.8%)
Thin film Crystalline Si
New Emerging
Technologies
Dye Sensitized polymer,

CNT etc.
Figure 3.2 Classification of various solar cell technologies

Wafer-based crystalline silicon solar cell technology
The technology used to make most of the solar cells, fabricated so far, borrows heavily from
the microelectronics industry; which is further classified into two categories as;
Single-/ Mono-crystalline silicon solar cell and
Polycrystalline silicon solar cell
Single/mono-crystalline silicon solar cell
This is the most established and efficient solar cell technologies till date, which have the
module efficiency of 15-18%. The cell and module fabrication technology is well developed
and reliable. These cells are manufactured from single silicon crystal, by process called
Czochralski process. During the manufacturing, c-Si crystals are cut from cylindrical ingots,
they do not completely cover a square solar cell module.
Figure 3.3 Mono-crystalline silicon solar cell and module

Polycrystalline silicon solar cell (poly-Si or mc-Si)
The production of polycrystalline cells is more cost-efficient which are manufactured by
cooling a graphite mold filled with molten silicon. In this process, liquid silicon is poured into
blocks that are subsequently sawed into plates. During solidification of the material, crystal
structures of varying sizes are formed, at whose borders defects emerge. These cells have
module efficiency of around 12-14%.

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Figure 3.4 Polycrystalline silicon solar cell and module

Thin film solar cell technology
In this approach thin layers of semiconductor material are deposited onto a supporting
substrate, such as a large sheet of glass.
Figure 3.5 Thin film solar cell and module

Thin-film photovoltaic modules are fundamentally different in their composition and their
production from crystalline photovoltaic modules. Though nearly all thin-film technologies
target a lower cost structure than traditional c-Si PV systems, the ability to scale beyond the
pilot stage to full commercial module production based on these thinfilm technologies has
proven difficult. In general, thin-film modules are made by coating and patterning entire
sheets of substrate, generally glass or stainless steel, with micron-thin layers of conducting
and semiconductor materials, followed by encapsulation. This leads to a process that can be
highly efficient in materials utilization, has relatively low labour requirements, and uses
comparatively little energy in the total manufacturing process.
Typically, less than a micron thickness of semiconductor material is required, 100-1000 times
less than the thickness of Silicon wafer. Some of the thin film solar cells in use are as follows;
a Si
CdTe
CIS, CIGS (copper indium gallium di-selenide)
Thin film crystalline silicon
Amorphous silicon thin film (a-Si) solar cell
Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) modules are the first thin film solar module to be commercially
produced and at present has the maximum market share out of all thin film solar cell
technologies.
Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) solar can be fabricated at a lower deposition temperature hence
permits the use of various low cost flexible substrates by easier processing technique. The
major concern of a-Si solar cells is their low stabilized efficiency. The overall efficiency
drops inevitably at module level and at present the efficiencies of commercial modules are in
the range of 4-8%.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film solar cell
Being a crystalline compound Cadmium Telluride is a direct bandgap semiconductor, which
is a strong solar cell material. It is usually sandwiched with cadmium sulfide to form a pn
junction PV solar cell. CdTe with laboratory efficiency as high as 16% have been developed
at NREL.
Multitudes of manufacturing techniques are main advantage of these solar cells which are
suitable for large scale production. Limited availability of cadmium and pollution problem
associated with Cadmium is main concerns with this technology.
Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) solar cells
This is a new semiconductor material comprising copper, indium, gallium and selenium in a
specific order, which is used for solar cell manufacturing. It is one of the most promising thin
film technologies due to their high-attained efficiency and low material costs. Amongst thin
film solar cells, the advantage of CIGS solar cell is its extended operational lifetime without
significant degradation. The inherent properties of CIGS also provide an opportunity for
maximizing the efficiency.
Each of above is amenable to large area deposition (on to substrates of about 1 meter
dimensions) and hence, high volume manufacturing. The thin-film semiconductor layers are
deposited onto either coated glass or stainless steel sheets. The semiconductor junctions are
formed in different ways, either as a p-i-n device in amorphous silicon, or as a hetero-junction
(e.g. with a thin cadmium sulphide layer) for CdTe and CIS.
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In order to build up a practically useful voltage from thin-film cells, their manufacture usually
includes a laser scribing sequence that enables the front and back of adjacent cells to be
directly interconnected in series, with no need to further solder connections between cells.
This way, the single photovoltaic cell created directly during production is already
interconnected in series to the next one and together result in the finished photovoltaic
module. This method represents a great advantage compared with the diverse necessary
process steps from wafer to module in the crystalline technologies as they have been
described above.
The share of thin-film technologies in the PV market is increasing. Thin-film production more
than doubled from 1850 MW in 2006 to 400 MW in 2007, accounting for 12% of total PV
production. Amorphous silicon technology has the highest share among other thin-film
technologies. It is predicted that thin-film technology will take 19% of the total market share
by 2013 with a growth rate of 45%.
Other PV technologies
Other significant PV technologies include III-V materials, optical concentration and
alternative thin film materials. Solar cells based on III-V materials (e.g. GaAs, InP etc)
command a large fraction of the market for PV power systems for space satellites and hold
promise for using terrestrial high concentration uses. Optical concentration technologies, in
which sunlight is collected from a large area and concentrated onto a small solar cell, offer an
alternative pathway to future reduction in PV system cost. In concentrator design, a large
optical element (e.g. Fresnel lens, focusing mirror etc.) focuses sunlight onto a small solar
cell, thus reducing the area needed to collect a given amount of sunlight. Concentrators
generally use a mechanical tracking mechanism to hold the optics and cells and to move them
so as to keep the concentrated image on the cell. Other PV technologies under development
include alternate thin film materials, such as dye-sensitized nano-porous materials (e.g. layers
of titanium dioxide coated with organic dyes) and organic semiconductors (e.g. mixture of
complex polymers), and microscopic antenna technologies. These technologies are for the
most part in the early research phase.
The photovoltaic market is still dominated by silicon wafer-based solar cells, which
accounted for about 88% of the market in 2008 and will continue to dominate for many years.
Market research predicts that multi-crystalline silicon will grow at a 285% rate through 2013.
Recent improvements in this traditional technology and its reliability will keep it in the
forefront, which will represent 79% of the market. The Table 3.1 presents a comparison of
different technologies with respect to efficiency, stability, current status technologies etc.
Table 3.1 Comparison between crystalline and thin-film technology

Parameter
Crystalline Silicon
Thin film
Types of
Materials
1. Mono-crystalline
2. Multi-crystalline
Material
Requirement
Requires more material

Crystalline silicon (c-Si) has
been used as the light-absorbing
semiconductor in most solar
cells, To absorb sufficient
amount of light it requires a
considerable thickness (several
hundred microns) of material
Mono-crystalline is produced by
slicing wafers (up to 150mm
diameter and 350 microns thick)
from a high-purity single crystal
boule. Mono-crystalline silicon,
made by sawing a cast block of
silicon first into bars and then
wafers.
High power per given area
1116%
Effect is more on output power
1. Amorphous silicon (a-Si)

2. Cadmium telluride (CdTe)
3.Copper indium (gallium) Diselenide
(CIS or CIGS)
Requires less material
The selected materials are all strong
light absorbers and only need to be
about 1micron thick, so materials costs
are significantly reduced
Manufacturing
Process
Power
Efficiency
Effect of
Temperature
Shade Tolerance
Logistics
Mounting
structures
required
Accessories and
additional
Low shade tolerant

Fewer modules - lower shipping
cost
Fewer modules- less mounting
structures per kWp
Requires less junction boxes

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Each of these three is amenable to

large area deposition (on to substrates
of about 1 meter dimensions) and
hence high volume manufacturing.
The thin film semiconductor layers are
deposited on to either coated glass or
stainless steel sheet.
Low power per given area
4.56.5%
Effect is less compared to crystalline
silicon cells
More shade tolerant
More Modules - more shipping cost
More modules- more mounting
structures per kWp
Requires more junction boxes
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Parameter
materials
Inverters
Cost
Output
Stabilization
Crystalline Silicon
Thin film
High inverter flexibility

High cost per watt
Output depends on No. of cells
in a 1 X 1
dimension module
Guaranteed power
Limited inverter flexibility

Low cost per watt
Directly proportion on the dimension
of the
module
It takes 5-6 months to reach a
stabilized output
Table 3.2 Performance results of a SPV power plant with different technologies
Solar cell
technology
Efficiency
(%)
Annual electricity
generated (kWh)
Solar cell Area

required (m2)
Total area
required (m2)
Mono-Si
14.3
1,798,821
6993.0
12238
Poly-Si
11.0
1,798,821
9090.0
15908
a-Si
1,864,460
20000.0
35000
CdTe
1,836,051
14286.0
25001
CIS
7.5
1,768,702
13333.0
23333
Spherical-Si
9.4
1,798,821
10638.0
18617
(Source: TRA calculations using RETScreen)
Advantages of Thin Film Solar Modules

Although crystalline silicon PV has dominant market share today, thin film silicon technology
is very cost competitive. In spite of lower efficiencies and the need for more land area, several
researches show that thin film generates more energy yield than crystalline technology. Thin
film silicon modules have performance advantage over c-Si as a result of three fundamental
factors inherent in the CdTe low temperature coefficient, blue light absorption, and thermal
annealing. Most importantly, thin film dominates in warm, sunny conditions due to its lower
power-loss temperature coefficient. The temperature coefficients of thin film are typically half
those of c-Si or CIS at -0.2%/K vs. -0.4 to -0.5%/K, resulting in half of the power loss at
higher temperature. Studies at Sandia National Laboratories in US have shown that the effect
of annealing for an outdoor CdTe array is an increase in power of about 7% from winter to
summer, independent of other effects. Amorphous silicon has a higher spectral response to
blue light than to red light due to its higher energy gap. In the Sandia study, they reported a
~6% increase in the performance of CdTe modules from winter to summer due to spectral
effects, excluding the effects of annealing and temperature. At the same time, c-Si module
performance decreased by ~3% from winter to summer, solely due to the changing spectral
content of the incident sunlight. Similarly, thin film modules also perform better during
cloudy sky conditions because, under the overcast skies, light is more diffuse and richer in
blue illumination. Since there is a better match with the spectral distribution of outside
illumination, the thin film modules have a competitive advantage even in cold climate like
UK or northern Europe.
Traditionally, crystalline silicon technology had been the preferred choice of the PV market
place due to its higher energy conversion efficiencies and easy availability. Efficiencies for
both single crystalline (sc-Si) and multi-crystalline (mc-Si) modules range between 11-17%.
In comparison, the efficiency of CdTe modules ranges from 9-10%. However, in spite of the
lower conversion efficiency, amorphous silicon technologies have better real world efficiency
in terms of electricity production per installed watt. Generally this is not recognized because
modules are rated at Standard Test Conditions (STC) of 1000 W/m2, 25C, and AM1.5.
However, a module deployed in the real world generally will be exposed to these conditions
for only a brief amount of time during its life, and therefore STC ratings are of limited use in
evaluating the actual performance of modules and systems. Independent studies evaluating
side-by-side energy yield (generated energy per rated peak watt of power) of various PV
technologies show notable performance advantages of CdTe thin film PV technology.
Traditionally, the market place had been focused on efficiency as the market was almost
entirely crystalline silicon based and consequently the modules had similar operational
performance. Recently, the market place has shifted with the realization that efficiency is not
a good metric when comparing different technologies. Today, the decisive criterion for
evaluation of the photovoltaic modules is not the technical module efficiency, but the costs to
be paid per Watt of module output (generated kWh of electricity). Bottom lines of power
generation companies are driven by cost of actual energy production rather than by the
parametric value efficiency. With the greater energy production at high ambient temperatures
as well as low and diffuse light conditions (such as cloudy weather as well as dawn and dusk
conditions), Si based thinfilm solar modules generate a greater energy per rated watt than due
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crystalline silicon modules. Si based thin film solar modules are also less expensive to
produce on a per watt basis.
Inverters
After modules inverters are the most important components in a solar power system. In recent
years inverter technologies have been developed significantly and numbers of reputed
companies are now offering high efficiency inverters. Because of technical improvements in
circuit design and integration of required control and protection circuits into control circuits
cost, size and weight of inverters has reduced significantly. The control circuits provide
sufficient control and protection features like maximum power generation, frequency and
power factor controller. Inverter technology is very important to have reliable and safety grid
interconnection. Inverters connecting a PV system to public grid are to be purposefully
designed that allows power transfer to and from the grid. Many a times inverters can be
connected in master- slave criteria, when the succeeding inverter switching on when enough
solar radiations are available or in case main inverter malfunction. The standard voltage and
frequency for single circuit is 220 V and 50 Hz.
Power Evacuation System

Grid interactive PV system has the advantage of more effective utilisation of generated
power. However the technology requirement of both from the utility and PV system side need
to be safeguarded for effective utilisation of system. Safety and reliability of system could be
accomplished through inverter systems. The main components of solar PV grid interactive
power plants are
Solar modules or array
Interconnecting Wiring
Inverter to convert DC voltage to AC voltage
Step up transformer
Control cum monitoring system
Earthing and lightening protection system
Grid Connected Solar PV Systems

A recent development in renewable energy technology is grid-interactive or two way grid
interconnection. If the system generates more solar power than need of users, the excess is
exported back to the main grid. These systems use sophisticated control equipment so that
when the renewable energy system produces more power than need, the excess power is fed
back into the grid. When the system doesn't produce enough power, then one can get power
from the grid.
Grid connected solar systems offer a unique opportunity to silently and cleanly generate
significant amounts of energy, which are designed to operate in parallel with, and
interconnected, with the electric utility grid. A grid-connected solar electricity system links
several solar panels together through an inverter to the power grid. No electrical storage
batteries are required, as excess electricity generated by the solar panels.
Figure 3.6 Schematic of grid connected SPV unit

These systems can be likened to having the own solar power station of consumer located on
house roof, that silently generates green electricity, or any excess of electricity, via the grid.
Every Grid Power solar system comes with a solar panel array, a grid connected inverter, a
roof mounting assembly, a pre-wired circuit breaker distribution board and all warning and
emergency procedure signage. The output from a photovoltaic module is proportional to
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available solar irradiance and therefore it is dependent upon the location, time of day and
climatic conditions. A single unit cannot be relied upon without a back-up source of power or
energy storage. In grid connected mode the grid provides the back-up source.
Grid connected photovoltaic systems may be separated into two main categories; domestic
photovoltaic arrays which are typically rated at between 0.5 and 5kWp; and commercial or
industrial PV systems which are typically in range of 10 kW up to 100 kW. Several grid
connected solar PV projects of MW capacity have been installed worldwide. The domestic
systems are usually single phase connected to the domestic supply 220V. The PV arrays are
usually fixed over an existing roof, wall or free-standing structure. The modules are wired to
produce an appropriate voltage and connected to a DC/AC inverter synchronized with the
grid. Photovoltaic systems mounted on commercial, industrial or other large buildings are
generally connected to the three-phase supply in buildings.
The primary component in grid-connected PV systems is the inverter, or power-conditioning
unit (PCU), which converts the DC power produced by the solar array into AC power
consistent with the voltage and power quality requirements of the utility grid, and
automatically stops supplying power to the grid when the utility grid is not energized. One bidirectional interface is made between the solar power system AC output circuits and the
electric utility network, typically at an on-site distribution panel, which allows the AC power,
produced by the solar power system to either supply on-site electrical loads or to back-feed
the grid when the solar power system output is greater than the on-site load demand. At night
and during other periods when the electrical loads are greater than the solar power system
output, the balance of power required by the loads is received from the electric utility. This
safety feature is required in all grid-connected systems, and ensures that the system will not
continue to operate and feed back into the utility grid when grid is down for service.
These systems are popular for residential and domestic sectors, homeowners and small
businesses where a critical backup power supply is required for critical loads such as
refrigeration, water pumps, lighting etc. Normally the system operates in grid-connected
mode, serving the on-site loads or sending excess power back onto the grid while keeping the
battery fully charged. In the event the grid becomes de-energized, control circuitry in the
inverter opens the connection with the utility through a bus transfer mechanism, and operates
the inverter from the battery.
Electricity produced from solar energy is not matched to consumption by electrical loads and
needs to be conditioned for general use. One of the main arguments against the integration of
dispersed energy generation is their influence on the power quality of the grid. This
contribution contains results of extensive power quality investigations of grid connected
photo voltaic systems. When further expanding the use of renewable sources it is necessary to
develop large energy storage facilities for decoupling generation from consumption; chemical
storage could be promising for a flexible demand-driven reconversion to electricity with
stationary or mobile fuel cells. The connection to the grid requires a special meter which can
run forwards and backwards (net metering) and if a feed in tariff is paid an additional meter to
measure PV production is needed. Figure 3.7 presents a detailed layout of a typical grid
connected SPV power plant.

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Figure 3.7 Typical schematic of a grid connected SPV power plant
Section 4
Component of PV Plant
PV modules
The design of 50 MW PV plant using crystalline PV technology is explained in this section.
P-Series 6 x 10 model of PLG Power has been selected for, is chosen and the design is given
in this section as an example only for the present analysis. The specifications of PLG Power
P-Series 6x10 PV module are given in Table 4.1.
The total Solar PV Array capacity shall be 5MWp at STC (25C, A.M. 1.5 and 1000W/m2).
Thin film amorphous single junction PV modules guaranteed with more than 80% of
minimum rated power for 25 years of suitable nominal voltage and peak power rating and
certified by IEC 61646 or UL standards will be used. Modules must be supplied with a
manufacturer warrantee that Fabrication is in compliance with at least one of the abovereferred standards and guaranteed with more than 80% of minimum rated power for 25 years.
The back of the junction box should be equipped with bypass diodes to eliminate the risk of
the individual solar cells overheating due to hot spot effect. Many series-connected
photovoltaic modules should easily be wired using preassembled solar cables and multicontact plugs. CdTe based Thin film solar PV moduls of First Solar2 have been identified the
technology for the proposed project. The important features of the technology are;
Clean Technology
All photovoltaic (PV) technologies have significant environmental benefits compared to
traditional fossil-fuel electricity generating technologies. First Solar's cadmium telluride
(CdTe) offers the following benefits.
o First Solar offers the solar industry's first comprehensive prefunded module collection
and recycling program, ensuring that the solutions to climate change and energy
independence today don't become a waste management challenge for future
generations.
o CdTe PV technology has the smallest carbon footprint and fastest energy payback
time of current PV technologies when measured on a life cycle basis.
o When in operation, First Solar modules generate electricity with no air emissions, no
waste production, and no water use.
2
http://www.firstsolar.com/en/CdTe.php
o On a life cycle basis, at least 89% of the air emissions associated with electricity
generation could be prevented if electricity from First Solar's CdTe modules displaced
electricity from the grid.
o Using CdTe in PV modules converts cadmium, a waste byproduct of zinc refining,
into the stable compound of CdTe where it is safely sequestered for the 25+ year
lifetime of the module
Affordable
First Solar's CdTe technology is uniquely capable of producing high-volume, low-cost solar
modules, driving solar to be an economically viable solution to climate change and energy
independence.
o Superior light absorption properties that result in higher output compared to traditional
silicon modules, under cloudy and diffuse light conditions such as dawn and dusk.
o A low-temperature coefficient that results in better performance compared to
traditional silicon modules at higher temperatures.
o Enhanced suitability for high-volume, low-cost module production.
The technological specifications of the selected modules are given in Annexure-I.
Inverter and Control

Grid interconnection of PV systems is accomplished through the inverter, which converts DC
power generated from PV modules to AC power used for ordinary power supply for electric
equipments. It is also required to generate high quality power to AC utility system with
reasonable cost. To meet with these requirements, up to date technologies of power
electronics are applied for PV inverters. By means of high frequency switching of
semiconductor devices with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) technologies, high efficiency
conversion with high power factor and low harmonic distortion power can be generated. The
microprocessor based control circuit accomplishes PV system output power control. The
control circuit also has protective functions, which provide safety grid interconnection of PV
systems. The inverter output always follows the grid in terms of voltage and frequency. This
is achieved by sensing the grid voltage and phase and feeding this information to the feedback
loop of the inverter. Thus control variable then controls the output voltage and frequency of
the inverter, so that inverter is always synchronized with the grid.
Software controlled Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) techniques are utilized in the
control system to optimize the solar energy fed into the grid. The control system detects if the
insolation level is above a predetermined value and the grid supply is within the preset limits
in voltage and frequency, the inverter modules synchronise and connect to the grid supply and
proceed to export the available solar energy. The control unit will automatically disconnect
from the grid if the grid voltage or frequency moves out of its operating range. Also the unit
will switch over to a low power sleep mode at night and during periods of low insolation and
automatically wake up, when the insolation level rises above a preset point. Once the grid is
back into its operating range, the inverter unit will synchronize and connect to the grid to
export all the available energy generated by the PV array. The inverter will be based on power
MOSFET transistors with very low resistance in the output stage and a toroidal transformer with
ultra-low hysteresis losses and also provide galvanic insulation between the DC and AC side.
In this project, Sunny Central 250 solar inverter manufactured by SMA the worlds leading PV
inverter manufacturer is proposed. The new Sunny Central 250U is compatible with industry
standard building management and energy service software protocols and integrates easily
into energy aware infrastructures. RS485 and thernet communication are available via the
optional Sunny WebBox. The Sunny WebBox automatically uploads performance data to the
free Sunny Portal website allowing system owners to view and track their energy production.
This inverter could be installed indoor or outdoor and compliant to UL 1741 / IEEE 1547
standard. The controller will have following control and automated functions.
Inverter start up, shut off and disconnection sequence
Over / under voltage & frequency protection
Anti islanding protection
Power tracking to match inverter to the arrays
Adjustment of delay periods to customize system shutdown sequence
Graphical user interface for real time communications, monitoring and control
Optional remote monitoring via internet modem
Faults notification via modem
Data acquisition and logging
DC monitoring
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Array Support Structure

Modules shall be mounted on a non-corrosive support structure suitable for site condition
(extreme site conditions to be taken account) with facility to adjust tilt to maximize annual
energy output. The structure will be designed for simple mechanical and electrical
installation. It shall support SPV modules at a given orientation, absorb and transfer the
mechanical loads to the ground properly. The frames and legs of the array structures shall be
made MS hot dip galvanized/ anodized aluminum of suitable sections of angle, channel, tubes
or any other sections as may deemed fit conforming to national/ international standards for
steel structure to met the design criteria. Minimum thickness of galvanization should be at
least 120 microns. All nuts & bolts will be made of very good quality stainless steel. The
minimum clearance between the lower edge of the modules and the developed ground level
shall be 800 mm. The array structure shall be so designed to withstand storm condition with
wind speed up to maximum 150Kmph. Few specifications of the selected CdTe baased solar
thin film module technology are given in Table 4.1.
Table 4.1 Specifications of MBPV Thin Film Module
Cables and Accessories

The size of the cables module/array interconnections, array to junction boxes and junction
boxes to PCU etc shall be selected to keep the voltage drop and losses to the minimum. The
suggested cable is the bright-annealed 99.97% pure bare copper conductor, which offers low
conductor resistance and lower heating, thereby increasing the life and making savings in
power consumption.
Junction Boxes
A) Terminal Box
Terminal box is a part of a PV module, from which output is taken. Each PV module is
provided with one bypass diode in the terminal box.
B) Series Junction Box (SJB)
One series junction box is provided for each series mounting structure for taking out final
output. A blocking diode connected in series with 21 modules in this box.
Blocking Diodes
These diodes are connected in series with string of PV modules and its functions are as
follows:
Prevent circulating current between PV module strings.
Prevent reverse flow of current from battery through PV array during night and/ or
periods of low insolation.
Bypass Diodes
These diodes are connected in reverse direction (anode to negative of PV module and
cathode to positive of PV module) across each PV module of the string. They have the
same current rating as that of blocking diodes and their operation is as follows:
Under normal operating conditions, the bypass diodes are reverse biased and play no part.
When any module in a series string is shadowed, the current through the module is reduced.
Under these circumstances, the PV module gets reverse biased leading to power dissipation
across the module and reduction in output power of which is undesirable. Presence of bypass
diode provides an alternate path to flow of current in the string (as the diode becomes forward
biased when PV module gets reverse biased) and also limits dissipation by limiting the
voltage across PV module to typically 0.7V.
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C) Array Junction Box (AJB)

These are for paralleling various series junction box (SJB) outputs. Terminal blocks are
provided in the array junction box for paralleling +ve & -ve electrical output from five
different series junction boxes ( 5 in 1 out). Hence the total number of AJBs required are
239, among them 235 AJBs are 5 in 1 out and 4 AJBs are 4 in 1 out.
D) Main Junction Box (MJB)
Main junction boxes used to connect the output of array junction boxes to the grid tide
inverter. The output of 5/6 AJBs is fed in to one main junction box. The output of main
junction boxes works as an input for inverter. The total number of MJBs required are 40
among them 39 are 6 in 1 out and 1 is 5 in 1 out.
Inverter
In grid-connected PV systems, the inverter is linked to the mains electricity grid directly or
via the building's grid. With a direct connection, the generated electricity is fed only into the
mains grid as it is the case with 50 MW plant. With a coupling to the building's grid, the
generated solar power is first consumed in the building, then any surplus is fed to the mains
electricity grid. PV systems up to a power of 5kWp (or up to a size of approximately 50m2)
are generally built as single-phase systems. With larger systems, the feed is three phase: in
other words, the feed is connected to the three-phase supply system. Figure 4.1 shows the
principle of coupling PV systems with single- and three phase inverters to the electricity grid.
Figure 4.1 Connection of PV systems to the grid with a single phase and three phase inv
Modern grid-connected inverters are able to perform the following functions:
Conversion of the direct current generated by the PV modules into mains-standard

alternating current
Adjustment of the inverter's operating point to the MPP of the PV modules (MPP
tracking)
Recording of the operating data and signalling (e.g. display, data storage and data
transfer)
Establishment of DC and AC protective devices (e.g. incorrect polarity protection
Over voltage and overload protection; protection and monitoring equipment to keep
within re

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SMA Sunny Central SC250/250 HE Inverter:
SMA is one of the leading manufactures of grid tried inverters. With its optional
features such as string monitoring, team capability, medium voltage feed and
suitability for outdoor installation, the Sunny Central is an excellent choice for PV
systems with a homogeneous structure (modules of the same type with identical
orientation and tilt). SMA provides Sunny Central inverters from 100 kW to 50 MW
capacities. Sunny Central inverter SC 250/250HE is considered for this project whose
AC nominal output is 250kW.
Array Support Structure

Modules shall be mounted on a non-corrosive support structure suitable for site condition
(extreme site conditions to be taken account) with facility to adjust tilt to maximize annual
energy output. The structure will be designed for simple mechanical and electrical
installation. It shall support SPV modules at a given orientation, absorb and transfer the
mechanical loads to the ground properly. The frames and legs of the array structures shall be
made MS hot dip galvanized/ anodized aluminum of suitable sections of angle, channel, tubes
or any other sections as may deemed fit on forming to national/ international standards for
steel structure to met the design criteria. Minimum thickness of galvanization should be at
least 120 microns. All nuts & bolts will be made of very good quality stainless steel. The
minimum clearance between the lower edge of the modules and the developed ground level
shall be 800 mm. The array structure shall be so designed to withstand storm condition with
wind speed up to maximum 150Kmph.
Data logger
The data logger takes care of data monitoring and regular data logging of the SPV system.
The data logger also allows user to perform monitoring and logging of multiple connected
PCUs. Once the system is configured real time data can be obtained and displayed.
Following data from the system are logged and displayed.
- Solar radiation
- Ambient temperature
- Module temperature
- DC voltage
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- DC current
- DC power
- Grid voltage, frequency, current
- Inverter voltage, frequency, current
- Line pf, line KW, Total KW
- Energy exported
The logger will store the above data on to the load side regularly where this data can be
printed and used for scrutiny of system performance and evaluation.
Safety Requirements
Islanding
The condition of a Distributed Generation (DG) generator continuing to power a location
even though power from the Electric utility is no longer present is termed a islanding.
Islanding of inverter-connected PV-generator systems means any situation where the source
of power from the network operators distribution system is disconnected from the network
section in which the generator is connected, and one or more inverters maintain a supply to
that section of the distribution system or consumers installation. The situation may cause an
electrical shock hazard to service personnel operating on the islanding network section while
it has been supposedly shut down, by separating it from the main power station. Islanding can
be dangerous to Utility workers, who may not realize that the utility is still powered even
though there's no power from the Grid. For that reason, Distributed Generators must detect
Islanding and immediately stop producing power.
To prevent islanding, the Power Conditioning Unit has to disconnect quickly (within a few
second) in response to failures on the immediate distribution line. To provide this safety
function, voltage, frequency and current have to be monitored and in case of exceeding the
limit, the system has to trip. A disconnect switch which is accessible to only utility people is
recommended. When the power plant is disconnected from the Grid it will supply power for
captive use.
Lightnings and Over Voltage Protection
The SPV Power plant shall be provided with Lightning and over voltage protection connected
to proper earth mats. The main aim of over voltage protection is to reduce the over voltage to
a tolerable level before it reaches the PV or other sub-system components. The source of over
voltage can be lightning or other atmospheric disturbance. The Lightning Conductors shall be
made as per applicable Indian or International Standards in order to protect the entire Array
Yard Lightning stroke. Necessary concrete foundation for holding the lightning conductor in
position will be made. The lightning conductor shall be earthed through flats and connected to
the Earth mats as per applicable Indian/International Standards with earth pits. Each
Lightning Conductor shall be fitted with individual earth pit as per required Standards
including accessories, and providing masonry enclosure with cast iron cover plate having
locking arrangement, watering pipe using charcoal or coke and salt.
Earthing System
Each Array structure of the SPV Yard shall be grounded properly. The array structures are to
be connected to earth pits as per Indian/International standards. Necessary provision shall be
made for bolted isolating joints of each earthing pit for periodic checking of earth resistance.
The earth conduction shall run through appropriate pipes partly buried and partly on the
surface of the control room building. The complete earthing system shall be mechanically &
electrically connected to provide independent return to earth.
Codes and Standards
All equipments of the PV power plant shall conform to international standards including
IEEE for design and installation of grid connected PV system. The standards cover various
aspects such as PV modules, cable types and selection, temperature considerations, voltage
ratings, BOS wiring, inverter wiring, blocking diodes, bypass diodes, disconnect devices,
grounding requirements, surge and transient suppression, load centre, power qualities,
protection features and safety regulations. The following codes and standards will be followed
while constructing the power plant:
IE Rules for design of the electrical installation
National Electrical NFPA 70-1990(USA) or equivalent national standard
National Electrical Safety Code ANSI C2 -1990(USA) or equivalent national standard
IEEE 928 - 1986: Recommended criteria for terrestrial PV Power Systems
IEEE 929 1988: Recommended practice for utility interface or residential and
intermediate PV systems
IEC 61646: Standard for PV Modules
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Energy Metering
PCU and lines will be provided with microprocessor based ABT compliant trivector meters to
record energy. The accuracy class of energy meters will be of suitable class. The lines will be
provided with main and check meters. The meter will be capable of metering active &
reactive energies both import and export. The meter will indicate maximum demand by
integrating the energy for the preset period. The meter will register maximum demand in
separate preset periods of the day with provision for recording of tamper/ abnormal events
with date and time stampings in its non-volatile memory.
Plant Layout
To estimate the land required for 50 MW PV plant, it is essential to consider the arrangement
of P V panels. The arrangement of these strings depends on the available land size and shape.
The distances between two PV strings is critical as it influences the output of the system and
land area requirement; while too close PV rows can reduce land requirement and also
electrical cabling losses and land cost, but the PV string row can cast shadow on each other
and solar system performance is reduced. Hence shading analysis is critical to estimate the
optimal distance between two rows. The length of the shadow depend depends on the height
of the PV supporting structure. The height in turn depends on the probability of dust
accumulation on the modules, PV array cleaning methods etc. If the height of the supporting
structure from the ground is too low, then probability of dust accumulation is more and hence
frequent cleaning is necessary to reduce the losses. But if the length is too high then
operating personal may face difficulty for cleaning and maintenance of PV modules. Hence a
compromise should be made between these two. In this case, it is assumed that the minimum
height of the PV panel from the ground is 0.7 m and the panels are placed at an angle
equivalent to site latitude. In addition a comprehensive shade analysis of PV power plant has
been done using ECOTECH. The shading analysis for PV string has been carried out for
different days in a year and for different times in a day. From the software, the optimal
distance between two rows can be found as 2 m irrespective of the day in a year.
Figure 4.2 Shadow pattern for solar field at 8.30am on 23rd Dec (Maximum shading)

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Figure 4.3 Shadow pattern for solar field at 8.30am on 23rd March
Figure 4.4 Shadow pattern for solar field at 8.30am on 23rd June
Figure 4.5 Shadow pattern for solar field at 8.30am on 23rd Sep

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Figure 4.6 Layout of 50 MW PV systems (2-D View)
Figure 4.7 Layout of 50 MW PV system (Auto Cad)
Conceptual Plant Layout in ECOTECH
Figure 4.8 Layout of 50 MW PV system ( 3-D View)
Figure 4.9 Single line diagram of 50 MW solar PV power plant (Interactive System)

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QuickTime and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Figure 4.11Single line diagram of 50 MW solar PV power plant
Other Essential Technical Arrangements

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) System
The entire plant with grid equipments will be provided with SCADA facility. SCADA system
will incorporate integrated system control and data acquisition facilities. An integrated CADA
would be capable of communicating with 20 nos. The SCADA shall provide information of
the instantaneous output energy and cumulative energy for each of the inverters as well as for
the entire power plant. The integrated SCADA shall have the feature to be used locally via a
local computer and also remotely via the Web using either a standard modem or a GSM /
WIFI modem. The use of a local operator interface and latest technology features shall be
incorporated to enable viewing of instantaneous parameter metering, changing of operator
modes and review of system logged events. Further, with PC based latest software
technology, solar plant shall be monitored remotely via satellite link. The major SCADA
features incorporated in to the control system are listed below;
Operator interface of latest technology: Instantaneous grid, array, inverter, AC, and
metering of all parameters.
Integrated AC/DC data point logging: Instantaneous logging of all parameters.
Including AC parameters, generator run hours and energy details.
Fault and system diagnostics with time stamped event logging: Selectable event
logging resolution for enhanced diagnostics.
Remote SCADA features with specific needs of station monitoring and remote
communication are to be incorporated. Remote system access software, secured
transmission of data and central PC facility will be provided.
System Earthing
The 132kV system will be solidly grounded on the HV neutral terminal of the transformer.
The 11kV system will be resistance grounded using the neutral point of the star connected LV
winding of the 132/11kV power transformer. This will be designed to limit the earth fault
current in the 11kV system to 200A, to limit the damage to equipment and cable in the 11 kV
systems in the event of an earth fault. The 415V system will be solidly grounded at the LV
winding neutral terminals of the load centre transformer.
In house Power
The internal electric power demand of the photo voltaic power plant mainly consist of lighting
and small power loads in the 132kV switch yard, Including the control and administrative
building and road lighting. It is proposed to meet this power demand by availing a 415V, 3phase service connection from RSEB. During nighttimes, when there is no generation in the
photovoltaic modules, it is possible to switch off the main power and load centre
transformers, thereby eliminating the power loss in the plant distribution network at night.
The 132kV sub station, control and administrative building, roads etc. will be provided with
artificial lighting with appropriate level of illumination in different areas. Stale of the art
energy efficient tamps and luminaries will be used to provide uniform, glare-free lighting.
Water System
The plant water requirements will be predominantly for cleaning of solar arrays and personnel
use. The maximum array area if CdTe thin film modules are used will be 76760 sqm (19
acres). Considering 1 litre of water to clean 1sqm of module area and three cleanings per
month an average requirement of water is estimated to be 7.5 Cu M per day. The proposed
tube wells with an estimated yield of 10000LPH will be sufficient to supply the required
water. Since the water is stated to be hard, necessary arrangement for softening water will be
required for cleaning of modules to avoid formation of scaling on the module surface.
As per the available report of Public Health Engineering Department, the ground water in the
area is hard with TDS of more than 5000ppm. This water cannot be used to clean the solar
modules. TDS can be removed by distillation, reverse-osmosis or electro dialysis. A reverse
osmosis water filter of capacity10000 LPD may be used to remove TDS from water.
Energy Metering
PCU and lines will be provided with microprocessor based ABT compliant trivector meters to
record energy. The accuracy class of energy meters will be of suitable class. The lines will be
provided with main and check meters. The meter will be capable of metering active &
reactive energies both import and export. The meter will indicate maximum demand by
integrating the energy for the preset period. The meter will register maximum demand in
separate preset periods of the day with provision for recording of tamper/ abnormal events
with date and time stampings in its non-volatile memory.
Section 5
Estimation of Annual Electrical Output
Poly-crystalline solar cells have been identified suitable PV technology for proposed location
which could perform effectively under the climatic and operating conditions of village
Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. In order to estimate the annual
electricity generation at the location computer software named RETScreen international3 has
been identified which given monthly as well as annual electricity generation of a grid
connected SPV project.
Figure 5.1 RETScreen Simulation -1

3 Software developed by natural Resource Centre, Canada for evaluation of
renewable energy projects.

Version 1.5.1

Page 82 of 98
Taking the geographic (latitude, longitude) and climatic parameters as input in the technical
model for simulation along with the thin film solar cell technology the annual electricity
generation has been determined. It has been determined that a solar grid connected PV project
of 50 MW capacity under the climatic and operating conditions of Thakarba (Pokharan),
Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan will generate around 106.97 MU (106,967,377 Units) of
electricity annually. As the efficiency of selected CdTe thin film solar cell is 7 percent hence
footprints (area required) of the PV plant is higher as compared with the mono-crystalline
solar cells of higher efficiencies. It has been estimated that the power plant will be require
714286 m2 effective solar cell area. Further the total area required for the power project is
estimated as 1250000 m2 which includes interconnections, interspacing between parallel
rows, roads etc. The site conditions and system characteristics are presented in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1 Annual Energy Production of 50 MWp solar PV plant
Site Conditions
Details
Project Name
50 MWp Solar Power Project
Customer
Plant Capacity
50 MWp
Project Location
Thakarba (Pokharan),
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Latitude for radiation analysis
27o0544N
Longitude of projected location 72o1337E o
Annual Solar Radiation on

Horizontal Surface
Annual Solar Radiation on
Tilted Surface
Annual average ambient
temperature
System Characteristics
8
9
B
2350 kWh/m
2565 kWh/m
25.9 oC
PV Array
1
Application Type
On Grid
Proposed Technology
Thin Film- CdTe
7.0 %
Nominal PV Module efficient

at STC
NOCT
Miscellaneous PV array losses
3%
43C
Site Conditions
Details
PV temperature coefficient
0.40%
PV Array Collecting Area
714286 m
Total area required
1250000 m2
Power Conditioning
9
Average Inverter Efficiency
95%
10
Miscellaneous Power
Conditioning Losses
Annual Gross Energy
Delivered (without losses)
Annual Net Energy Delivered
3%
11
12

Version 1.5.1
113,686,233 kWh
106,967,377 kWh

Page 84 of 98

Effect of ambient temperature on performance
The effect of increase in temperature is to decrease the efficiency of the PV module
efficiency. For the CdTe based thin Folm solar PV Modules, the power output decreases by

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0.45% /degree C, where as in case of CdTe, the power output decreases by 0.11%/degree C.
Here the reference temperatures are nominal operating cell temperature.
Effect of humidity on performance

There is an adverse effect of too much humidity in the atmosphere on the PV module
performance too. It becomes worse when humidity starts condensing on the panel in night and
dust got deposited on the panel, and reduces the amount of solar radiation reaching on the
solar cells. This will reduce the power output from the plant. Hence special consideration
should be given for the cleaning of the solar panels.
Here in the power output calculation from the PV plant is considered by taking in to account
the effect of the temperature.
Section 5
Project implementation schedule
Based on international practices and technological advancements, it is assumed that project
will be supplied, installed & commissioned in 14 months from the finalization of DPR. Loan
repayment period has been considered as 10 years after the commissioning of project.
System Description
The Solar electricity is produced when the Photos from the sun rays hit the electrons in the
Solar PV panels, this will generate Direct Current (DC). The DC electricity from the panels
passes through DC distribution network to a grid-interactive inverter, which converts the DC
electricity into Alternating Current (AC) by using state of the art technology by IGBT
methodology and fed through A/C distribution system linked to the electricity supplied by the
grid AC. The Inverters will synchronize with the utility power with respect to the Voltage and
frequency of Grid, the Voltage is further stepped up to the grid voltage of the Utility generally
33kV/66kV/132kV/220kV in India.
Indicative Scope of Work
1. Electrical
Supply, fitting, fixing of Solar PV Modules with appropriate module mounting
structures and frames as per specification including overall planning and design of the
power plant.
Design and construction of appropriate foundation base for holding the module
mounting structure with supply of all requisite materials, excavation, concreting, back
filling, shoring and shuttering, etc.
Supply and installation of Junction boxes of appropriate standards with required
Protection and Isolation system
Design, Supply and Installation of AC Power Conditioning Units with all protection
and controlling arrangement as per specification e.g. 250 kw, 3 Ph, 50 Hz, 415 V, 4
wire or a suitable mix of PCUs to get the desired performance. String monitoring and
MPPT features are included.
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Interconnection of PCUs, transformer LT side, LT switchgear, with appropriate cables

and associated materials including supply materials.
Design, manufacture, supply, installation, interconnection and interfacing of Computer
Aided Data Acquisition Unit as per specification.
Supply, installation complete earthing as required for AC & DC power system, PCU,
LT switchgear, transformer, all metallic cubicles, HT switchgear with materials as
required as per relevant standards.
Providing Earth Mat and Interconnection of array structures with earth pits in the PV
Array Yard.
Design, fabrication, supply, installation of LT power interfacing panel to evacuate
power to the Grid through PCUs with appropriate capacity circuit breakers, isolators,
indicators, metering arrangement with selector switch, CTs, PTs and copper busbars as
per requirement, in complete. This is assuming upto 1km distance to the nearest substation.
Design, fabrication, supply and installation of plant monitoring desk to monitor the
status of all major equipments through SCADA system including connection to all
major equipments and status to be monitored.
2. Control Room and Others

Electrical wiring in the control room and array yard with supply of cables and wires,
switch board, switch, JB, distribution board for lights, fan, exhaust fan, power point
for both 5A and 16A
Supply and installation of lightening arrestors for the control room as per relevant
standards.
Supply, fitting and fixing of CFL lighting fixture, FL lighting fixture, LED lighting
fixture for lighting indoor & outdoor various including array yard with required
accessories.
Providing of 5A and 15A plug points in the control room as per requirement.
Supply, fitting and fixing of ceiling fan, exhaust fan, pedestal fan as per requirement.
Providing of fire extinguisher and sand buckets complying with national/international
safety standards.
3. Erection and Installation of Power Evacuation Arrangement
Erection, supply installation and commissioning of 4 x1.5 MVA transformers 415V/11

KV, 3 phase, 50 Hz with associated switchgear comprising of circuit breakers,
isolators, CTs and PTs etc including metering and protection like over current, earth
fault, reverse power protection, etc.
4. Civil Works for SPV System
Civil works required for the substation are:
Topographical survey as per scope already mentioned in technical specifications
Soil testing as per scope already mentioned in technical specifications
Planning and design as per scope already mentioned in technical specifications
Construction of power plant building including control rooms as required, office,
amphitheatre, etc.
Fencing of the site
Access roads
Site filling and compactation
Fences and gates
Roads and paved areas
Transformer foundations and oil separator
Cable channels and ducts
Control and switchgear building
Drainage system
External lightning system
Foundations for equipment supports, gantries and other steel constructions
Earthing system
Air conditioning/heating system in the MV and control room
All buildings shall be equipped with a lightening protection system (LPS). LPS Protection
Level I according IEC 61024-1 shall be considered. The building lightening protection system
is to be executed, among other standards, according to IEC 61024 and alongside protection of
human life, shall prevent damage not only to buildings, but also to electrical and electronic
installation. The lightening protection system shall be executed in accordance with:
Version 1.5.1

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1. IEC61024-1: Protection of Structures against Lightening General Principles

2. IEC61024-1-1: Protection of Structures against Lightening Part 1: General
Principles Section 1: Guide A Selection of Protection Levels for
Lightening Protection systems
3. IEC61024-1-2: Protection of Structures Against Lightening General
Principles Guide B
5. Operation and Maintenance
The operation of solar power plant is relatively simple and restricted to daylight hours in a
day. With automated functions of inverter and switchyard controllers, the maintenance will be
mostly oriented towards better up keep and monitoring of overall performance of the system.
The solar PV system requires the least maintenance among all power generation facility due
to the absence of fuel, intense heat, rotating machinery, waste disposal, etc. However, keeping
the PV panels in good condition, monitoring and correcting faults in the connected equipment
and cabling are still required to get maximum energy from the plant. A maintenance schedule
needs to be planned as per service/ guarantee terms of supplier to maintain optimum
availability of plant at all times. The maintenance functions of a typical solar PV power plant
can be categorised as given below.
Day to day maintenance checks
o Ensure security of the power plant
o Monitor power generation and export
o Monitor load centre wise power generation values to detect any abnormality
o Entry of unauthorised person, stray animal or migration of birds at the site
o Healthiness of fencing and loss of any material from site
Weekly maintenance checks
o Inspection of PV panel glass surface clean / wash solar PV panels to free from dust
and other dirt like birds dropping etc.
Monthly maintenance checks
o Removal of weeds and grass below PV panels and pathways if any
o Inspection of solar PV modules and arrays for any damage
o Check the power terminals for corrosion and proper torque, clean and apply antioxidant jelly, if necessary
o Change tilt angle in appropriate months

Half yearly maintenance checks
o Check all the wiring for physical damage and for any sign of excessive heating
o Check all the junction boxes for proper covering and sealing
o Check the fasteners of Solar PV panel mounting structure and array for proper torque
and tightening
Annual maintenance checks
o Check for discoloration of solar PV cells
o Check all the connections and ensure that they ate not loose
o Insulation characteristic checking for the transformer oils
o Checking corrosion, cleaning and painting switch yard structures
o Checks and cleaning of drains and cable trenches in switch yard
o Checking barbed wire fencing for damages and rectifications
6. Man Power Deployment & Training
A PV Power plant does not require constant attention when in operation. One site engineer
assisted by two trained and skilled technician can monitor and look after its periodic
inspection and maintenance. The total manpower required for the proposed solar PV power
plant facility is estimated more than 100 including a part time plant manager, one account
cum administrative personnel and six security personnel to be placed on shift. The plant
manager will be responsible for overall functioning, maintenance; revenue collection and
expense control for operation and maintenance of the power plant and will report to the
management. He will monitor the power plant remotely from headquarter. The site engineer
will be located in the site and will be fully responsible for day-to-day operation, maintenance
and upkeep of the power plant. He will be assisted by site technicians and will report to the
plant manager. About 20000 unskilled man-days will be required annually for scheduled
cleaning and other civil and structural maintenance work. The same could be outsourced from
external agencies.
Security personnel could also be outsourced from security service agencies. All heavy
maintenance jobs and those of capital nature will be contracted out. While estimating
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manpower, it has been considered that the maintenance personnel will have multidisciplinary
skills so that occasional minor repairs and adjustments in all systems could be carried out
without waiting for specialists.
Activity
Finalization of DPR
Registration with
RRECL
MOU with RRECL
Registration and
MOU with NVVN
PPA
Financial Closure
Project Construction
- Procurement
-Civil Works
-Installation
Testing
Commissioning
Mo 1
Mo 2
Mo 3
Mo 4
Mo 5
Mo 6
Mo 7
Mo 8
Mo 9
Mo 10
Mo 11
Mo 12
Mo 13
Mo 14
Section 6
Financial analysis
Financial analysis has been carried out for selected CdTe thin film based solar PV module
technology. The proposed solar thin Film power project is of 50 MW capacity. Cost of the
project is Rs. 17 crores per MW as per the guidelines of CERC. Electricity generation has
been arrived at 1069.674 lakhs kWh per annum at the project proposed site in Rajasthan. The
plant load factor (PLF)4 is 24.42 % at this generation. This generation is at grid
interconnection point after considering associated losses.
Project cost break-up & means of finance

Apart from machinery, installation and commissioning cost, interest during construction,
financial institution fees and margin money for working capital is part of project cost. Project
financial analysis has been carried out considering debt equity ratio of 70:30. Interest rate at
debt part has been considered at 13.3%. The land cost has been taken negligible as the land
will be provided by Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL),
Government of Rajasthan, India in nominal price. The total project cost and means of finance
are summarized in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1 Project cost & means of finance
S. No.
Particulars
Cost in Rs. (Lakhs)
Project cost
85000
4012.34
IDC (interest during

construction)
Financial Institution fees
17.00
Total project cost
89029.34
Debt (70%)
62320.54
Equity (30%)
26708.80

Based on international practices and technological advancements, it is assumed that project
will be supplied, installed & commissioned in 1 year. Loan repayment period has been
considered as 10 years after the commissioning of project.
4 A plant load factor is a measure of capacity utilization. It is a measure of the
output of a power plant compared to the maximum output it could produce.
Proposed electricity tariff

Project will be implemented as IPP (Independent Power Project) and envisages sale of
generated electricity to the grid. It is proposed to sell the electricity at Rs. 17.90/ kWh for the
project life.
Financial indicators
Detailed financial analysis has been carried out and summarized in Annexure- II. The main
financial indicators are presented in Table 6.2.
Table 6.2 Financial indicators
1
Project Specifications
Name of the project
Country where the
project is situated
Project Capacity
Unit
Solar PV
India
KW
50,000
Procurement,
construction and
installation
Generation and sale of energy
Months
Annual net power

generation from the
project
Plant Load Factor
Net power generated
Lacs
kWhr
1069.674
Percent
Lacs
kWhr
Rs/kWhr
Percent
24.42
1,069.67
12
Sell price
Degradation factor after
10 years
Operation and maintenance
Rs. Lakhs 9.5
Escalation in O & M
4
Percent
5.72%
Percent
11.0%
MT CO2
eq.
Euro
90922.29
Long term loan

The interest rate
17.91
10%
CDM
Certified Emission
Reductions (CERs)
CER Rate

Version 1.5.1

5.00
Page 96 of 98
Exchange Rate
INR
65.00
CER Sale Value
Rs. Lacs
295.50
Year
25
Rs. Lacs
Rs. Lacs
26,708.80
62,320.54
Rs. Lacs
Rs. Lacs
89,029.34
1,780.587
Depreciation
Plant life assumed for

working of depreciation
Financial Parameters
Debt / equity ratio
Equity
Debt
Long Term loan (at the

rate of 11% pa)
Total cost
Cost Per MW
Minimum Alternate Tax
(MAT)
Income tax rate
8
18.00%
30%
70%
Equity
30%
Surcharge 10.00% Edu.

Percent
Cess 3%
Surcharge 10.00% Edu.Cess Percent
3%
20.39%
33.99%
Results Financial Parameters

IRR
Equity IRR
Project payback period
Debt Service Coverage
Ratio (DSCR)
Average cost of
electricity generation (25
years basis)
Average cost of
years basis)
Average cost of
years basis)
Percent
Percent
Years
20.76
30.05
7.26
1.65
Rs per
kWhr
3.34
Rs per
kWhr
4.06
Rs per
kWhr
7.59

Version 1.5.1

Page 98 of 98

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June 2010

Detailed project report (DPR) of 50 MW Solar

XXX Limited, Gurgaon

TRA International Limited

DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

Lead Consultants : TRA

Lead Consultants : TRA

MWh Megawatt Hour

Thakarba Village, Pokaran

Jaisalmer (Tehsil Pokaran)

Name of the State

Global Solar Irradiance on

Solar PV Module Technology

Thin Film Technology

Ground mounted with seasonal tilt

Type of PV Modules Considered

Amorphous Silicon single junction

for the offer

Capacity of each Module

120 Wp / 220 Wp or any other compatible

200 Nos. of 250 kW each

Projected Net Energy Production 106.97 Million units

Total Project Cost

Debt Equity Ratio

Equity from the Developer

Rs. 26708.80 lakh

XXX Limited, Gurgaon

Name of the customer of Power

Rajasthan State Electricity Board (RSEB)

DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

Lead Consultants : TRA

Detailed project report (DPR) of 50 MW Solar Thin Film

LEAD CONSILTANT COMPANY

Lead Consultants : TRA

Main Features of the Project

Lead Consultants : TRA

Figure 1.1 District map of Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer

Figure 1.2 Satellite map of Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer

Lead Consultants : TRA

Thakarba is located around 25-30 from Pokharan Tahsil of Jaisalmer district

The total land availability is around 1138 Beghas

PS-1 is the nearest grid substation from the site

The specification of PS-1 substation is 132/33 kV.

Table 1.1 Photographs of Proposed Site Village- Thakarba (Pokharan), Jaisalmer

DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

Lead Consultants : TRA

DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

Lead Consultants : TRA

DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

Lead Consultants : TRA

Lead Consultants : TRA

Lead Consultants : TRA

Figure 1.6 Transmission map of Proposed Site

DPR for 50 MWp Thin Film based SPV

Lead Consultants : TRA