Assessment of 50 kWp rooftop solar photovoltaic plant at The ICFAI University, Jaipur: A case study

Currently, India is espousing nonconventional energy sources at an express rate owing to concerns about climate change, emission of harmful greenhouse gases (GHG), and exhausting conventional energy sources. The solar photovoltaic (SPV) plants are, hence, expected to play a noteworthy role to meet energy security and sustainability goals. Contemporary studies reveal substantial ecological concerns associated with installing the ground mounted SPV plants in urban locations. Further observations depict that aforementioned plants need additional land, transmission, and distribution infrastructures. Consequently, rooftop SPV plants are the best solution to produce energy in urban locations, owing to the availability of a large number of empty rooftop spaces with least capacity expenditure. The present article discusses the techno-economic and ecological aspects of a 50 kWp rooftop SPV plant installed at ICFAI University, Jaipur. The plant has produced around 64.149 MWh in the year 2017. The technical assessment focuses on the effects of the meteorological parameters upon energy generation factors. The annual average final yield, reference yield, capacity utilization factor, and performance ratio found to be 106.9 kWh/kWp/month, 149.7 kWh/kWp/month, 14.64 and 70%, respectively. The economic parameters like net present value, internal rate of return, profitability index, and payback period are computed with 0-50% subsidy rates, which supports the financial viability of the plant. The plant contributed significantly to reducing GHG emissions by mitigating 102 t CO2, 128 kg SO2, 268 kg NOx, and 7,033 kg ash in the year 2017 as evident from the ecological investigation. Statement of industrial relevance Manufacturing industries are extremely power intensive, as they utilize a substantial amount of energy during the production process. The utilization of sustainable energy sources can considerably curtail the major overhead cost, that is, power, and at the same time minimize pollution. Solar energy utilization is a viable option as large spaces are available not only on rooftops but also allied spaces like parking lots of the industries for installation of rooftop SPV plants. The industries by virtue of location receive extended periods of unimpeded sunlight, as these setups are positioned in separate industrial areas away from residential clusters of buildings. Hence, the problems related to shading is eliminated. This makes solar plant setup more effective and functionally robust. The findings of the present work delineate a broad view on technical, economic, and ecological viability of the rooftop solar plant. The work, thus, emboldens industries to adopt strategies toward the installation of rooftop solar plant in their premises.