An economic and environmental analysis of biomass-solar hybrid system for the textile industry in India

Authors: MAHALAKSHMI MAHADEVAN, LATHA SALAI

Abstract: This paper focuses on the design and analysis of a hybrid biomass-solar photovoltaic system for the textile industry with the goal of minimizing the cost and greenhouse gas emissions. The feasibility analysis of the hybrid system is performed based on the resource availability and the power generation potential of the existing biomass power plant near the textile plant at T.Kallupatti in Tamil Nadu, India. The power plant located at the site (9.66$^{\circ}$N, 77.79$^{\circ}$E) has an average daily global horizontal irradiance of 4.86 kWh/m$^{2}$, which has been validated through NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy data. The chosen site also has adequate biomass fuel availability. The biomass feedstock fuel price varies from {\$}38.5 to {\$}42 per ton on average for the fuels juliflora, bagasse, coconut shell, paddy husk, etc., which are purchased from nearby villages of the chosen region. The comparative analysis of grid-alone, standalone biomass-solar hybrid, and grid connected biomass-solar hybrid systems is performed using HOMER 2.81 software. In particular, an economic and environmental evaluation of the hybrid system is carried out based on the results of the optimization of biomass feedstock combination for maximum power output using the Neural Network toolbox of MATLAB 2010a. The results prove the effectiveness of the stand-alone solar-biomass hybrid system for the textile industry in terms of cost combined with emission reductions.

Keywords: Biomass-solar hybrid system, HOMER simulation, biomass feedstock optimization, economic evaluation, carbon credit

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