Grid-Connected Distributed Captive PV Power Plants For Ludhiana District - A Case Study

Abstract

Solar energy is most promising clean renewable energy source with large potential. Solar PV power plants can be
installed as large utility-scale power plants as well as smaller distributed captive power plants. This is so because solar energy
is distributed energy source and PV power plants do not enjoy significant economy of scale. In this paper, an investigation
regarding installation of distributed captive solar PV power plants connected to feeders at different points to replace 100% of
the grid electricity supplied in Ludhiana district of state of Punjab (India) has been reported. It was found that most of the
electricity (83%) is supplied to urban areas while only 17% is supplied to rural areas. In rural areas, large number of smaller
distributed captive PV power plants can be installed to meet the distributed electric load as plenty of land is available. For
urban areas, it is essential to install large utility-scale PV power plants far away from cities where cheaper land may be
available as land on the periphery of cities is very expensive. However rooftop PV systems can be installed to partially meet the
electric load in urban areas. First preference should be given to installation of distributed PV power plants in villages.