COMPARISON
WIND SOLAR HYBRID
Throughout the year as wind & solar are complementary and it rounds clock power generation.
- Seasonal fluctuations of standalone wind & mitigate daily
- Fulfil 75 -80 percent of energy requirements.
- Fulfills 60 percent up to energy requirements in 15 minutes of energy settlement restrictions.
- It is defined for 24*7 round-clock generation.
- Generates 5MW solar ~7.8 million units per year
- Have a capacity utilization factor of up to 45% to 50%
- Highest saving potential.
- Can be maintained more economically and Easley due to common equipment
- Good Saving cost comes because of the common usage of infrastructure and resources.
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC
Power generation can be only in the daytime, and the maximum generation between 10 am to 4 pm
- Power generation can be only in the daytime, and the maximum generation between 11 am to 4 pm
- Less power generation on cloudy days or short days.
- Only 55-50 percent of energy can be mitigated, with TOD restrictions on wheeling
- Can only fulfill 30-20% of energy requirements in 15 min energy settlement restrictions.
- Generation curves are closely dependent or resemble only the daytime of the year concept.
- Generating only 5MW solar ~ 7.8 million units.
- Have a capacity of up to 16-18%
- depending upon medium and high state regulations.
- completely independent equipment and systems located at remote sites.
- These little sources and infrastructure can be used only for solar plants.
WIND FARM
In this the maximum generations would be in the morning and late at night due to high wind flows. Very good quantity of power generation even in a rainy season though demands would be low.
- Somewhere it depends on the wind patterns and banking period restrictions but can fulfill about 55 to 50 percent of energy requirements.
- 15-minute energy settlement restrictions, cannot fulfill more than 30% to 20% energy requirements.
- Generation curve closely resembles or depending the day and time of the year concept.
- 5 MW Wind ~ 16.2 million units generated per year.
- Capacity utilization factor will be up to 35-30%
- Saving potentials would be completely dependent upon state regulations regarding wheeling and banking.
HOW DOES SOLAR ENERGY COMPARE TO OTHER ENERGY SOURCES?
Renewable energy can play a significant role in meeting potential energy demands in both rural and urban areas. Renewable energy production and use, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy, should be prioritized, particularly in light of increased awareness of the negative environmental impacts of fossil-fueled generation. The world's demand for renewable energy production is increasingly growing. In both developing and developed countries, widespread use of renewable energy is critical for achieving energy sector sustainability.
SOLAR ENERGY VS OTHER RENEWABLE ENERGY
The sun is the most abundant source of energy on the planet, generating 173,000 terawatts of solar energy every second. That's more than 10,000 times the overall cumulative energy usage of the entire planet, and it's completely replenishable. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, are polluting and non-renewable. They will either vanish or the expense of locating and removing them will be prohibitively costly for our already strained population. Moreover, solar installations do not affect the environment and can be built in a few months compared to other energy plants. Land or rooftop installation is easy to maintain and can be set up almost anywhere as sunshine in India fluctuates far less frequently compared to other renewable energy sources.
SOLAR ENERGY VS WIND
Even though wind energy has been on the market for a long time, it has had some problems. While wind power is less costly to generate initially, wind turbines need much more maintenance than solar cells. Furthermore, wind power plants are built in remote areas with little to no proximity to the end- user, so transmission lines must be built to bring electricity to the end-user. Additionally, the effectiveness of a wind turbine in generating electricity is dependent on the weather. Predicting how much electricity a wind turbine can produce over time can be difficult. The turbine's rotor will not spin if wind speeds are too low on any given day. This means that during periods of peak electricity demand, wind energy isn't always available for transmission.
SOLAR ENERGY VS HYDROELECTRICITY
While hydroelectricity is effective, it is typically generated by large dams, resulting in a high initial installation cost. Furthermore, dam construction has the potential to change an entire ecosystem. Hydro plants also alter the natural flow of the rivers they take over, resulting in the formation of new lakes and a reduction in downstream water flow. These structures can also affect local wildlife, obstructing fish migration and altering habitats. Photovoltaic panels, on the other hand, have a little environmental impact and are much smaller than dams. One of the benefits of solar energy is its adaptability. A land or roof installation may be set up easily.
SOLAR ENERGY VS BIOMASS
Since biomass is green in several ways, burning it to produce electricity has some appeal. The logistics and overall energy balance, on the other hand, refute this point, as it takes a lot of energy mainly fossil-based to harvest and transport the mass to the power station.
SWITCH TO SOLAR ENERGY
Even a small solar energy plant can easily reduce the dependence on grid electricity by 80%, and can even reach 100%. Transitioning to solar has a significant environmental effect as well. Over twenty years, a solar energy system supplying only 80% of the average home's annual energy needs would offset the CO2 emissions from over 70,000 kilograms of coal burned. The greenhouse gas emissions from 45 tons of landfill waste would also be eliminated. Another environmental benefit of solar power is reducing water pollution. For cooling purposes, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired power plants all require large quantities of water. Solar energy poses almost no threat to the local water supply, and its activity does not put a strain on local supplies by competing with irrigation, drinking water systems, and other critical water needs.
ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE
While setting up solar panels may be perceived as expensive, in the long run, they help cut down your electricity bill and help save money. Additionally, the government of India offers numerous perks and subsidies for homes willing to switch to solar energy. For rooftop PV systems, you are eligible to receive up to 40% subsidy on the benchmark prices for homeowners. Since India is located in a tropical zone, throughout the year, it receives an enormous amount of solar radiation, amounting to about 3000 hours of sunlight. Certain Indian states have a high renewable energy potential and can produce significant amounts of energy throughout the year. You can also sell the excess energy generated back to the government through net metering. This makes switching to solar energy an eco-friendly and rewarding investment.
OPEX VS CAPEX
Switching to solar power is a commendable move for your business, and a cost-effective one too in the long run. However, there are a lot of underlying technicalities you need to know before making the final move to go green.
When you are considering buying solar power, you would generally find two options in the market – Investing into a rooftop solar plant or buying solar power under a power purchase agreement (PPA). Both the options can be availed under two models: the capital expenditure (CAPEX) model or the operating expenditure (OPEX) model. In this section, we help you make an informed decision by highlighting the differences between the two in terms of their merits and disadvantages, and which model suits your business better.
OPEX (BUILD-OWN-OPERATE)
➢ Developer owns the asset.
➢ Zero upfront investment by the customer. Can instead invest that capital into its core business.
➢ Quickly replicable and scalable because additional projects don’t need internal CAPEX approvals.
➢ Pay only for electricity generated, no hidden costs.
➢ 20-40% cheaper than Grid electricity Tariff.
➢ Turnkey solution, therefore Developer bears O&M cost.
➢ Savings from day 1 (Zero days).
➢ Developer handles all technical matters.
➢ Developer bears all the performance risk and is incentivized to maximized generation because revenues are linked entirely to generation.
➢ No Tax benefits for customer.
➢ Developer prerogative.
CAPEX EPC
➢ Customer owns the asset.
➢ 100% investment borne by customer.
➢ Typically requires long lead time for CAPEX approvals at senior management level.
➢ Pay only for O&M charges after system purchase, no tariff for solar electricity generated.
➢ Capital repaid through generated electricity.
➢ Customer pays separately for O&M.
➢ As high as 4 years.
➢ Dedicated team needed at customer’s end to evaluate system design, installation and operation.
➢ Customer bears all the performance risk and must manage equipment & downtime losses.
➢ Customer can claim tax benefit through accelerated depreciation.
➢ Owners prerogative.