NPCL 8MW Solar PV Project in UP

NPCL: 8MW Solar PV Project
in UP
Tractebel Engineering S.A.

INDIA
RESTRICTED
29 September 2016
A company of
LAHMEYER INTERNATIONAL(INDIA) pvt. ltd.
Intec House
37, Institutional Area, Sector 44
Gurgaon 122 002 (Haryana) – INDIA
tel. +91 124 469 85 00 - fax +91 124 469 85 86
[email protected]
tractebel-engie.com
DETAIL PROJECT REPORT – FINAL
Our ref.: Document No. P.009822-G-00008-003
Imputation: Project No. P.009822
Client : Noida Power Company Limited

Project : 8MW Solar PV Project in Uttar Pradesh
Subject : Detail Project Report - Final

Comments:
Revision No. Date Prepared / Revision By Description
B 2016 09 29 LII Issued for review and comments
This document is the property of Lahmeyer International (India) pvt. ltd. Any duplication or transmission to third parties is forbidden without prior written approval
B 16/09/29 Prel. AM MTL RJC RJC
WRI
TTE
N VERIFIED APPROVED VALIDATED

LAHMEYER INTERNATIONAL (India) pvt. ltd. - Registered office: A-3 (2nd Floor), Neeti Bagh - New Delhi – 110049 - INDIA
CIN:U74899DL1993PTC055028
A Company of
8 MW SOLAR PV PROJECT IN UTTAR PRADESH
Detail Project Report – Final
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................................11
2. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................15
2.1. The Project Promoter..............................................................................................15
2.2. The Consultant........................................................................................................ 15
2.3. Scope of Services................................................................................................... 16
2.4. Basis of the Report................................................................................................. 16
3. BACKGROUND: JUSTIFICATION OF THE REFERENCE SOLAR PV PROJECT.......................17
3.1. Power Scenario of India..........................................................................................17
3.2. Projections and Challenges...................................................................................20
3.3. Renewable Energy Scenario of India.....................................................................21
3.4. Promotion Schemes/ Incentives of Government of India....................................23
3.5. Energy Sector of Uttar Pradesh.............................................................................24

3.5.1. Power Demand- Supply Position................................................................................25
3.6. Renewable Energy Initiatives of Uttar Pradesh....................................................26
3.7. Solar Power Policy of Uttar Pradesh.....................................................................26
3.8. Justification............................................................................................................. 27
4. SITE ASSESSMENT............................................................................................................................27
4.1. Micro-Climate........................................................................................................... 28
4.2. The Project Location...............................................................................................29
4.3. Connectivity............................................................................................................. 30
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4.4. The Land.................................................................................................................. 31
4.5. Shading Aspects..................................................................................................... 32
4.6. Water availability..................................................................................................... 34
4.7. Power Evacuation................................................................................................... 34
5. SOLAR RESOURCE ASSESSMENT..................................................................................................35
5.1. Introduction............................................................................................................. 35
5.2. Solar Radiation over Greater Noida,......................................................................36

5.2 1. IMD Data36
5.2.2. NASA Satellite Data...................................................................................................37
5.2.3. NREL Satellite Data...................................................................................................37
5.2.4. Meteonorm Database..................................................................................................37
5.3. Climatic Condition................................................................................................... 39

5.3.1. Site Temperature........................................................................................................39
5.3.2. Wind Speed................................................................................................................40
5.3.3. Relative Humidity......................................................................................................41
5.3.4. Rainfall 41
6. ASSESSMENT OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES..................................................42
6.1. Global Scenario....................................................................................................... 43
6.2. Indian Scenario........................................................................................................ 44
6.3. Solar PV system...................................................................................................... 45

6.3.1. Wafer-based crystalline silicon solar cell technology................................................46
6.3.2. Thin film solar cell technology..................................................................................47
6.4. Market Share............................................................................................................ 49
6.5. PV Technology Selection for the reference Project.............................................50
7. ESTIMATION OF ANNUAL ENERGY YIELD.................................................................................53
7.1. Introduction............................................................................................................. 53
7.2. Solar and Meteorology data...................................................................................54
7.3. PV Module................................................................................................................ 55
7.4. Inverter..................................................................................................................... 55
7.5. Inter Row Pitch........................................................................................................ 56
7.6. Tilt Optimization...................................................................................................... 57
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7.7. Losses in the Solar PV System..............................................................................57
7.8. Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF)...........................................................................58
7.9. Annual Degradation................................................................................................ 59
7.10. Probabilistic Estimates........................................................................................... 60
8. PROJECT TECHNICAL DESIGN.......................................................................................................62
8.1. Plant Layout............................................................................................................. 62

8.1.1. DC Field Layout.........................................................................................................62
8.1.2. AC Field Layout.........................................................................................................63
8.1.3. Plant Boundary and Roads.........................................................................................65
8.1.4. Water Supply System.................................................................................................65
8.2. Plant Electrical Design............................................................................................65

8.2.1. Plant Single Line Diagram.........................................................................................65
8.3. Codes and Standards.............................................................................................68
8.4. Solar PV Array......................................................................................................... 72
8.4.1. Module 72
8.4.2. String Monitoring Boxes (SMB)/Combiner Box.......................................................73
8.5. Inverter and Control................................................................................................ 74

8.5.1. Cooling 75
8.5 2. Islanding 75
8.6. Inverter Transformer............................................................................................... 75
8.7. Common Auxiliary Transformer and Unit Auxiliary Transformer.......................76
8.8. 33kV Switchgear...................................................................................................... 76

8.8.1. Energy Metering.........................................................................................................77
8.9. 33kV Local Switchgear/ Indoor Ring Main Unit....................................................77
8.10. 415V LV Switchboards............................................................................................78
8.11. Plant DC System...................................................................................................... 78

8.11.1. Battery 78
8.11.2. Battery Charger..........................................................................................................79
8.11.3. DC Distribution Board (DCDB).................................................................................79
8.12. Cables and Accessories......................................................................................... 79
8.13. Lightning and Over Voltage Protection.................................................................81
8.14. Earthing System...................................................................................................... 81
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8.15. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System.............................82
8.16. Automatic Weather Station (AWS).........................................................................82
8.17. Civil Works, Site development & construction facilities......................................83
8.18. Power and Water Requirements............................................................................83
8.19. Fire Fighting............................................................................................................. 83
8.20. Ventilation and Air-Conditioning System..............................................................84

8.20.1. Air Conditioning System............................................................................................84
8.20.2. Ventilation System.....................................................................................................84
9. CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGN, BUILT, OWN AND OPERATE (BOO) MODEL...................85
10. PROJECT REGISTRATION AND CLEARANCES...........................................................................86
11. LIST OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................86
12. AUTHORITY........................................................................................................................................86
13. PLANT CONSTRUCTION & IMPLEMENTATION..........................................................................87
13.1. Application/ clearance............................................................................................87
13.2. Other Permitting and Clearances...........................................................................87
13.3. Design & Engineering............................................................................................. 88
13.4. Infrastructure and Site Development.....................................................................88
13.5. Civil and Structural Works......................................................................................88
13.6. Selection and Procurement of Equipments..........................................................89

13.6.1. Solar PV System.........................................................................................................89
13.7. Electrical System..................................................................................................... 90
13.8. Erection of Equipments.......................................................................................... 90
13.9. Testing and Commissioning..................................................................................90
13.10. Plant Operation and Maintenance..........................................................................90

13.10.1. System Design Suited for O&M...............................................................90
13.10.2. Operational Requirement...........................................................................91
13.10.3. Maintenance Requirements.......................................................................92
13.10.4. O&M Schedule..........................................................................................93
13.10.5. Breakdown Maintenance...........................................................................95
13.11. Man Power Development and Training.................................................................96
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13.12. Operation and Maintenance Spares......................................................................97
14. BILL OF QUANTITY...........................................................................................................................97
15. CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM (CDM).............................................................................99
15.1. The Clean Development Mechanism.....................................................................99
15.2. Renewable Energy (RE) under CDM in India......................................................100
16. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS...................................................................................................................101
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1.1: 8 MWAC SOLAR PV POWER PROJECT AT A GLANCE..........................................14
Table 3.1: Reserve of Fossil Fuels and Maximum Potential of RE in India..........................................19
Table 3.2: Target and Achievements of Renewable Energy Installations in India................................22
Table 4.1: Climatic Parameters at the Project Location.........................................................................29
Table 4.2: Photographs of the selected land...........................................................................................32
Table 5.1: Daily Solar Radiation over the Project Site...........................................................................37
Table 6.1: Comparison of different Conventional Solar PV technologies.............................................48
Table 6.2: Comparison between Crystalline and Thin Film Technologies............................................51
Table 6.3: Comparative Chart of Available Technologies.....................................................................52
Table 7.1: PV module Technical Parameters.........................................................................................55
Table 7.2: Inverter Technical Parameters...............................................................................................55
Table 7.3: Minimum Pitch at different hours for different Tilts on 21st December..............................56
Table 7.4: Tilt Optimization Study.........................................................................................................57
Table 7.5: Technical Losses considered.................................................................................................57
Table 7.6: Monthly CUF of the Solar PV Power Project.......................................................................58
Table 7.7: Estimated Generation from the proposed Plant over 25 years..............................................59
Table 7.8: CUF at different Probability Levels......................................................................................60
Table 7.9: Net Energy and CUF for the Project Life at different Probabilistic Levels.........................61
Table 8.1: Summary of DC Field Layout...............................................................................................63
Table 8.2: Inverters and transformers details..........................................................................................65
Table 8.3: List of Codes & Standards.....................................................................................................68
Table 8.4: Technical Particulars of Auxiliary Transformer...................................................................76
Table 8.5: Technical Specification of 33kV Switchgear........................................................................77
Table 8.6: Technical Particulars of LV Switchboard.............................................................................78
Table 8.7: Technical Specification of DC System..................................................................................79
Table 8.8: Technical Specification of Solar Cables................................................................................80
Table 8.9: Technical Specification of Power and Control Cables.........................................................80
Table 13.1: Manpower deployment for 8 MWAC Solar PV Power Plant.............................................96
Table 14.1: Bill of Quantity....................................................................................................................97
Table 16.1: Capital Cost and O&M Expenses of SPV Projects..........................................................101
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1: Installed Capacity Growth in India......................................................................................18
Figure 3.2: All India Generating Installed Capacity as on June 2016...................................................19
Figure 3.3: All India Electricity Requirement and Deficit Scenario.....................................................20
Figure 3.4: All India Electricity peak demand Requirement and Deficit Scenario...............................20
Figure 3.5: Power generation through different Renewable Technologies...........................................23
Figure 3.6: Estimated Potential of Renewable Energy in India.............................................................25
Figure 3.7: Power supply position in UP in 2015-16.............................................................................26
Figure 4.1: District map of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.........................................................28
Figure 4.2: Satellite view of the proposed location................................................................................30
Figure 4.3: Preliminary Plot Plan of the Project location......................................................................31
Figure 4.4: Minimum distance between two arrays of Solar PV Modules............................................32
Figure 5.1: Annual GHI over Project site using different data sources.................................................38
Figure 5.2: Monthly Global Horizontal Irradiance and Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance at the
Project Site..............................................................................................................................................39
Figure 5.3: Ambient temperature at the Project location.......................................................................40
Figure 5.4: Prevailing wind speed at the Project location......................................................................40
Figure 5.5: Relative Humidity at the Project Location..........................................................................41
Figure 5.6: Precipitation at the Project location.....................................................................................42
Figure 6.1: Solar PV Capacity Growth World-wide from 2005 to 2015...............................................43
Figure 6.2: Cumulative Installed Solar Capacity...................................................................................44
Figure 6.3: Solar PV based installed capacity in India (MW)...............................................................45
Figure 6.4: Schematic of a Grid Connected Solar Photovoltaic System...............................................46
Figure 6.5: Mono-crystalline Silicon Solar Cell and Module................................................................47
Figure 6.6: Multi-Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell and Module................................................................47
Figure 6.7: Thin film Solar Cell and Module.........................................................................................48
Figure 6.8: Market Share of different Solar PV Technologies..............................................................49
Figure 7.1: Climatic zone map of India..................................................................................................54
Figure 8.1: Grid tied Power Conditioning Unit......................................................................................74
Figure 9.1: Block diagram showing boo model.....................................................................................85
LIST OF ACRONYMS
AC : Alternate Current
ASI Archaeological Survey of India
AWS Automatic Weather Station
BOO Built, Own and Operate (BOO) model
BOS Balance of System
°C Degree Celsius
CERC Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
CDM Clean Development Mechanism
CdTe Cadmium Telluride
CIS Copper Indium – Selenide
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CIGS Copper Indium Gallium Di-Selenide
CSP Concentrating solar power
CUF Capacity Utilization Factor
DC Direct Current
DPR Detailed Project Report
GBI Generation-Based Incentive

GHG Greenhouse Gas
IEA International Energy Agency
JNNSM Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
km Kilometer
kV Kilovolt
kVA Kilovolt Ampere
kWh Kilowatt Hour
kW Kilo Watt
LII Lahmeyer International India Pvt. Ltd
MNRE Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
MVA Mega Volt Ampere
MW Megawatt
MWh Megawatt Hour
MU Million Units
NAPCC National Action Plan on Climate Change
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NPCL Noida Power Company Limited
NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NPT Notice to Proceed
O&M Operation and Maintenance
RPO Renewable Power Obligation
RMU Ring Main Unit
SCADA Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
SERC State Electricity Regulatory Commissions
SMB String Monitoring Boxes
SNA State Nodal Agencies
STC Standard Test Conditions
SLD Single Line Diagram
SPCB State Pollution Control Board
SPV Solar Photovoltaic
TWh TeraWatt-hours
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UP Uttar Pradesh
UPNEDA Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency
UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
V Voltage
WEO World Energy Outlook
Wp Watt peak
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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Solar energy is the most readily available source of non-polluting renewable energy
resource. It could be utilized in two ways viz. direct conversion in to electricity through
solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and indirect conversion through generating high
temperatures by concentrating collectors and hence run the steam turbine in line with a
conventional thermal Power Plant. Uniqueness of the solar technologies is it offers a
wide range of applications from milli watt to mega watt in solar PV while using through
solar thermal collectors, the generated heat could be utilised from domestic to industrial
applications and power generation.
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. India is located in the sunny
belt of the world. As per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government
of India (GoI), the country receives solar energy equivalent to more than 5,000 trillion
kWh per year with a daily average solar energy incident over India which varies from
4.0 to 7.0kWh/m2 depending upon the location. India’s equivalent solar energy potential
is about 6,000 million GWh of energy per year1.
The country has ambitious target of setting up 100000 MW capacities solar power
Projects by year 2022 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) of GOI.
In addition to this several states have announced their Solar Power Policy under which a
large capacity of solar Projects are planned. By the end of July, 2016, the cumulative
capacity of grid connected solar power Projects was reported as 7,805 MW. Uttar
Pradesh state has announced its Solar Power Policy in year 2015 targeting 500 MW of
solar power generation through Grid connected Solar Power Plant till March 2017.
Realizing the overall aspects of solar power potential of Uttar Pradesh, Noida Power
Corporation Limited has planned to implement a solar PV power Project of the capacity
of 8 MWAC at the location at Sector 16 of Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar
district of Uttar Pradesh state.
Section – 4: Site Assessment
The proposed solar plant area is located at Latitude 28.5827° North and Longitude
77.4948° East near Sector 16 of Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar
Pradesh state in India. The annual daily average global solar radiation over horizontal
surface has been estimated as 5.4 kWh/m 2. The selected Project location has well
established connectivity and accessibility through road and rail networks. The total land
available at the selected location is around 27 Acres for use in the solar PV Project. The
land is stable and suitable for setting up of 8 MWAC solar PV Power Plant based on
Mono crystalline based technology.
1
http://www.mnre.gov.in/information/solar-rpo/
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Section – 5: Solar Radiation Resource Assessment
This section addresses review of the solar radiation resource assessment of the site at
Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. All the available Solar Database Resources indicate that
the annual average daily GHI at the selected Project location is more than 5.0 kWh/m 2
which suggests that the current location is suitable for setting up a solar power Project.
As Meteonorm interpolated database is considerably more accepted and widely used in
industry, Meteonorm database has been used for the Energy Yield Assessment of the
proposed PV Project. It has been observed that the Project location receives annual solar
radiation of 1973 kWh/m2 (i.e. 5.40 kWh/m2 daily); which is best suited for setting up
of large scale solar PV power Project. The annual average values of ambient
temperature, wind speed and relative humidity have been observed as 25oC, 1.8 m/s and
57% respectively.
Section – 6: Solar PV Technology Assessment
Based on the techno-commercial aspects, maturity level, performance in hot and dry
climates and availability point of view; Monocrystalline solar PV technology has been
observed to be the most suitable option for the selected location. In order to estimate the
energy generation and designing of the Project layout, Sunpower manufactured
Monocrystalline Modules have been selected.
Section – 7: Energy Yield Estimation
The energy yield estimation has been carried using PVSyst software (V6.4.6) with Solar
Resource data from Meteonorm 7.1 Weather Database. The optimised pitch distance
considered for the Project is 7.3 m which will entirely eliminate the direct shading effect
between 9 am to 3 pm on 21 st December. At a row pitch of 7.3 m for a table of width
4.3m, the generated energy shall be maximum at a tilt angle of 23°. This section also
presents the technical parameters of the selected solar PV Modules and Inverter. The
technical losses (DC and AC) have been elaborated along with the energy generation.
From the Energy Yield Assessment based on Meteonorm Solar Resource Database, it is
observed that the proposed 8 MW AC PV plant could generate 17,065 MWh of
electricity annually (DC CUF of 20.57% / AC CUF of 23.87%). Long term performance
assessment of the Project on account of Module degradation (first five year degradation
has been considered as 1.0%/ year while degradation sixth year onwards has been
estimated about 0.4 % for the project life of 25 years) has also been carried out.
Section – 8: Project Technical Details
This section elaborates the plant philosophy and presents the layout (DC and AC) of the
proposed 8 MWAC solar PV Project over the available land. The string sizing of solar
PV Modules has been optimized through PVSyst simulation while the inter row spacing
and other design parameters have been taken as per the best practices.
The technical design aspect of the Project covers plant electrical design, applicable
codes and standards, specification of Solar PV Modules, Inverters, Transformers,
Switchgear (LT & HT), Grid Interface etc.
Section – 9: Considerations for Design, Build, Own and Operate (BOO)

Model
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This section briefly describe about the BOO model. In BOO model, the Project
Developer does not transfer the PV systems to the NPCL. The Project Developer shall
operate and supply the power to the NPCL. The NPCL will pay for the generated energy
as per PPA.
Section – 10: Project Registrations and Clearances
This section highlights the registration mechanism of the Solar PV Power Project along
with the statutory and non-statutory clearances required for Project implementation
with respect to the present 8 MWAC solar PV power Project in Uttar Pradesh.
Section – 11: Plant Construction and Implementation
Section 11 presents the Preliminary Project Implementation Schedule which covers the
major milestones in achieving Project completion. The major aspects of design
engineering, infrastructure and development of the site, civil and structural work,
selection & procurement of major equipment, erection, testing & commissioning along
with operation and maintenance issues have been covered in this section. A brief of
Operation and Maintenance aspects and manpower requirement for plant operation have
also been reported in the section.
Section – 12: Bill of Quantity
This section presents the Bill of Quantity of the major components of Solar PV Power
Project based on the Project Layout, Single Line Diagram and Estimated Energy Yield.
Section – 13: Clean Development Mechanism
This section covers the mechanism of Clean Development Mechanism under Kyoto
Protocol of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
under which the solar power Project could get the benefit of Carbon Credits.
Section – 14: Financial Analysis
This section presents the cost comparison of different projects in the industry. As per
the in-house database of LII it is observed that the actual expenditure of different
projects varies from around INR 6 Cr/MW to INR 8.5 Cr/MW whereas the CERC Cost
assumptions for year 2016-17 is INR 5.30 Cr /MW.
Table 1.1 below presents the major aspects of the 8 MWAC Solar PV Power Project
proposed at the location near Sector 16 of Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar
district of Uttar Pradesh.
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TABLE 1.1: 8 MWAC SOLAR PV POWER PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Sr. No. Particulars Descriptions
1. Project site Sector 16, Greater Noida

2. District Name Gautam Buddh Nagar
3. Name of the State Uttar Pradesh.
4. Geographical coordinates 8.5827°N, 77.4948°E
5. Daily Global Solar Irradiance 5.40 kWh/m2/day average
6. Annual Global Solar Irradiance 1973 kWh/m2
7. Meteorological data source Meteonorm 7.1
8. Data format Hourly in Typical Meteorological Year (TMY)

format
9. Land availability (Acres) 26.93
10. System Configuration Fixed Tilt (Tilt angle – 23o)
11. PV Module Technology Monocrystalline
12. Plant AC capacity 8.16 MW
13. Plant DC capacity 9.47 MWp
14. Solar PV Module (Model) SPR-X21-345
15. Total number of PV Modules 27456
16. Module Rating 345 Wp
17. Module Efficiency 21.5%
18. Inverter Model XC-680
19. Inverter Numbers/ Rating 12 Nos. of 680kW AC each
20. Each Inverter Capacity (AC) 680 kW
21. Annual Electricity supplied 17065MWh
22. Annual DC CUF (%) 20.57 %

Annual AC CUF (%) 23.87 %
23. Annual Degradation (%) First Five Years – 1.00%/ year

Sixth year onwards - 0.40 %
24. Grid Substation 10 MVA, 33/11 kV ESS-II Sub-station-cum-

Switching Station
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Taking in to account the solar radiation resource availability (>1900 kWhm2/Year),
micro-climate, site assessment, technology appropriateness, financial feasibility, energy
generation and environmental sustainability etc. associated with the 8 MWAC solar PV
power Project; it has been observed that the proposed 8 MWAC solar PV power Project
successfully satisfies all major criteria of Project evaluation. Using fixed tilt based
mechanism, the annual Capacity Utilization Factor has been estimated as 23.87% which
is attractive as compared with the benchmark values of 19% of CERC, Govt. of India for
solar PV power Projects.
2. INTRODUCTION
NPCL has planned to implement a 8 MWAC Solar Power Project near Sector 16 of
Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Parade. NPCL has around 26.93
Acre of land for implementation of the 8 MWAC capacity solar PV plant. The 10 MVA,
33/11 kV ESS-II Sub-station-cum-Switching Station has been identified as evacuation
point for the proposed Plant which is around 3 KM from the project site.
2.1. The Project Promoter
Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL) distributes power in Greater Noida, near Delhi
in Uttar Pradesh. The Company reaches out to a population of about 7 lac spread across
hamlets, villages and a new township spanning an area of 335 sq. km. The Company
is a joint venture between the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and Greater Noida Industrial
Development Authority. The Company started its operations in December 1993 pursuant
to grant of license by the U.P. Government. Currently, the Customer base is 70,994 and
the peak load served is 265 MW. The load profile is dominated by large and heavy
industries that constitute 59% of energy sale and contribute as much as 62% of the
Company’s income.
2.2. The Consultant

Lahmeyer International (India) Pvt. Ltd. (LII) is one of the leading Consulting
Engineering Companies in the power sector in India. LII is actively involved in the
Indian Power Sector and is thoroughly familiar with current Indian Regulations and
Guidelines, especially for private participation in Generation, including Renewable
Energy Projects. LII offers consultancy services for development of Conventional as
well as Renewable Power Generations, Transmission & Distribution Projects, Energy
Audit etc. NPCL has appointed Lahmeyer International (India) Pvt. Ltd. (LII) as the
Consultant to provide Detail Project report for the 8 MWAC Solar PV Project.
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2.3. Scope of Services
The scope of work of the Consultant with respect to the the 8 MWAC Solar PV Power
Project near Sector 16 of Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar
Pradesh, India covers rendering services for major technical aspects of the Project
implementation including preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The
Detailed Project Report has been structured to cover the following aspects:
 Site assessment
 Solar Resource Assessment and Meteorological study
 Solar PV Technology Assessment and Evaluation
 Energy Yield Estimation
 Project Technical Design
 Project Registration and Clearances
 Operation and maintenance
 CDM
 Bill of quantity and
 Financial Analysis
2.4. Basis of the Report
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is based on the following data/ documents and
information:
 Reports of International Energy Agency (IEA), Uttar Pradesh Energy

Development Agency, Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd,
Solar Energy Cooperation of India limited (SECI), World Energy Outlook
(WEO 2012), PV Industry Survey, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
(MNRE), Govt. of India and other State Govt. bodies, available in the public
domain.
 Satellite Database of Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy of NASA,
USA
 SEC-NREL Satellite Weather Database
 Meteonorm 7.1 (Software and Database) for Solar Resource
Assessment and generation of data in TMY format
 Meteorological Data measured by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)
for various nearby locations
 PVSyst Software for Energy Yield Estimation
 In-house data resources of LII
 Inputs provided by NPCL
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3. BACKGROUND: JUSTIFICATION OF THE
REFERENCE SOLAR PV PROJECT
Solar PV technology is essentially a solid-state semiconductor-based technology which
converts a fraction of the incident solar radiation (photons) into direct electricity. A PV
system can deliver electrical energy to a specific appliance and/ or to the electricity grid.
PV systems are flexible and modular; hence the technology can be implemented on
virtually any scale with connection to the electricity network or as stand-alone/ off-grid
systems, easily complementing other energy sources.
3.1. Power Scenario of India.

Electricity is the critical infrastructural component for basic human need and
multidimensional growth. The power generation capacity in India has risen at the rate of
around 5.88% per annum over the last 25 years. The electricity sector in India has an
installed capacity of 304.761 GW as of July 20162 and generated around 3,91,069, MU
from April 2015 till July 20163. India became the world's third largest producer of
electricity in the year 2013 with 4.8% global share in electricity generation surpassing
Japan and Russia.
Renewable Power plants constituted 28% of the total installed capacity, Non-
Renewable Power Plants constituted the remaining 72%. India generated around 1272
TeraWatt-hours (TWh) in 2014-15.
2
http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/installedcapacity/2016/installed_capacity-07.pdf
3
http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/daily/dgr/2016/July/31/dgr17.pdf
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Installed Capacity
350
303
300 272
250
200
Capacity, GW
200
132
150
105
86
100 64
43
50 27
9 17
12 3 5
0
1953
1956
1959
1968
1971
1980
1983
1986
1989
1998
2001
2013
2016
1947
1950
1962
1965
1974
1977
1992
1995
2004
2007
2010
Year
FIGURE 3.1: INSTALLED CAPACITY GROWTH IN INDIA
The per capita average annual domestic electricity consumption in India in 2009 was 96
kWh in rural areas and 288 kWh in urban areas for people having access to electricity in
contrast to the worldwide per capita annual average of 2,600 kWh and 6,200 kWh in the
European Union. The per capita total electricity consumption in India is around 1075
kWh4 in year 2015-16. Electric energy consumption in the agriculture is the highest
(18.5%) in India.
For a quick look into the Indian scenario for energy resources, Figure 3.2 shows the All
India Generating Installed Capacity as on 2016 while Table 3.1 below indicates the
estimated hydrocarbons and other energy reserves along with limitations either year-
wise and the MW potential for all forms of conventional fossil based fuels and present
form of renewable energy sources.
4
http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/executivesummary/2016/exe_summary-06.pdf
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Installed Capacity, GW
186
303
43
43 25
1
6
CoalGasDieselNuclearHydroRenewablesTotal
FIGURE 3.2: ALL INDIA GENERATING INSTALLED CAPACITY AS ON JUNE 2016
(Source: Central Electricity Authority)
TABLE 3.1: RESERVE OF FOSSIL FUELS AND MAXIMUM POTENTIAL OF RE IN INDIA
Energy Resources Unit Cumulative Reserve Remarks
Coal/Lignite Mtoe 15,479 Will be exhausted by 2050
Extractable Lignite Mtoe 1,220 Will be exhausted by 2045
Oil Mtoe 786 Will be exhausted by 2028
Gas – including bed Mtoe 1,866 Will be exhausted by 2043

methane
Uranium Tons 61,000 Will be exhausted by 2057
Hydro power MW 150,000 Maximum Potential
Wind MW 45,000 Maximum Potential
Biomass MW 50,000 Maximum Potential
Solar TW 600 5000 TkWh/Year
(Source: Integrated Energy Policy - 2006)
Figure 3.3 below shows the electricity requirement/ deficit for India. Although the
country saw some improvement, it is still reeling under energy deficit. Figure 3.4 shows
the peak demand requirement/ deficit for India.
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12,00,000
10,00,000
Energy, GWh 8,00,000
6,00,000
4,00,000
2,00,000
42,428 38,138 23,557
0
2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Energy Requirement (GWh)Energy Availability (GWh)Shortage (GWh)
FIGURE 3.3: ALL INDIA ELECTRICITY REQUIREMENT AND DEFICIT SCENARIO
1,80,000
1,60,000
1,40,000
1,20,000
1,00,000
80,000
Power, MW
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
6,103 7,006 4,903
2013-142014-152015-16
Peak Demand (MW) Peak Met (MW) Shortage (MW)
FIGURE 3.4: ALL INDIA ELECTRICITY PEAK DEMAND REQUIREMENT AND DEFICIT
SCENARIO
3.2. Projections and Challenges

According to World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2012 5, published by International
Energy Agency (IEA), USA, it has been estimated that the world electricity demand is
projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.2% to 2035. The global demand for electricity is
set to continue to grow faster than for any other final form of energy. In the New
Policies Scenario, demand is estimated to expand by over 70% between 2010 and 2035
or 2.2% per year on average. Over 80% of
5
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/publications/weo-2012/
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the growth arises in Non-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(Non OECD) countries with over half in China (38%) and India (13%). In terms of
electricity use, industry remains the largest end-use sector through 2035. At an average
of 5.2% per year, electricity demand in India grows faster than in any other WEO region
over the period mainly due to rising population and economic growth. In India, the total
demand rise was predicted from 693 TWh in 2010 to about 2450 TWh in 2035. Global
electricity demand increased by 40% between 2000 and 2010, despite a small downturn
in 2009 caused by the global economic crisis. The global installed capacity is projected
to increase from 5429 GW in 2011 to about 9340 GW by 2035 - a net increase of
about 3900 GW, or almost three-quarters. In the New Policies Scenario, energy-related
CO2 emissions have been shown to rise from an estimated 31.2 GT in 2011 to 37.0 GT
in 2035, pointing to a long-term average temperature increase by 3.6°C
3.3. Renewable Energy Scenario of India

There are a number of issues associated with generation of electricity through fossil
fuels like climate change, GHG emissions etc., which are not environment supportive.
Renewable and non-conventional energy resources appear to be the alternatives to
conventional resources as there are no harmful emissions to the environment. Solar
energy is the most readily available source of non-polluting renewable energy and more
or less uniformly distributed over all tropical and sub-tropical regions of the earth.
According to the statistics of MNRE, the cumulative grid connected renewable energy
based power generation capacity was 44,244 MW6 till 30th June 2016. Out of this, wind
power accounts for 27,151 MW. Table 3.2 below presents the recent achievement of
renewable energy installations in India till 30.06.2016. The estimated potential of power
generation through renewable energy (wind, Solar, biomass etc.) resources has been
reported to be more than 1 Lakh MW by MNRE. In the present scenario, the
contribution of renewable energy resources towards power generation is more than 28%
in the country. Figure 3.5 shows the all India installed capacity with the percentage of
power generation through various RE technologies as per MNRE.
6
http://mnre.gov.in/mission-and-vision-2/achievements/
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TABLE 3.2: TARGET AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLATIONS
IN INDIA
Sector Cumulative
FY- 2016-17 Achievements (as on
30.06.2016)
Target Achievement
I. GRID-INTERACTIVE POWER (CAPACITIES IN MW)
Wind Power 4000 373.95 27151.40
Small Hydro Power 250 30.30 4304.25
Biomass Power & Gasification 400 29.5 4860.83
Waste to Power 10 7.5 122.58
Solar Power 12000 1042.35 7805.21
Total 16660 1483.60 44244.7
II. OFF-GRID/ CAPTIVE POWER (CAPACITIES IN MWEQ)
Waste to Energy 15 1.23 141.27
Biomass(non-bagasse) Cogeneration 60 0 651.
Biomass Gasifiers 2 0 18.15
-Rural
-Industrial 8 0 164.24
Aero-Generators/Hybrid systems 0.3 0.1 2.79
SPV Systems 100 3.4 325.4
Water mills/micro hydel 1 MW + 500 0.1 MW + 100 Water 18.81

Water Mills Mills
Total 163.3 105.01 1123.32
III. OTHER RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS
Family Biogas Plants (numbers in 1 0.05 48.6

lakh)
(Source: www.mnre.gov.in)
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Renewable Resources in India
11%
18%
61%
18%
Wind Solar Small Hydro Biomass
FIGURE 3.5: POWER GENERATION THROUGH DIFFERENT RENEWABLE

TECHNOLOGIES
3.4. Promotion Schemes/ Incentives of
Government of India
MNRE has been promoting new and renewable energy sources in a big way in India.
The Government of India envisaged 44,245 MW cumulative capacity additions during
the 12th five year plan (2012-16) from renewable power generation. While about 27,151
MW is expected to be from wind power and 7,805 MW from Solar Power, the balance
is to be realized by other renewable energy systems. The Electricity Act 2003 clearly
mandates State Electricity Boards to adopt a minimum percentage for procurement of
electricity from renewable energy sources. Accordingly, about 13 State Electricity
Regulatory Commissions (SERC) have initiated action to meet this requirement.
Further, MNRE has formulated the guidelines on Generation-Based Incentive (GBI) for
Grid Interactive Solar Power Projects. In January 2008, MNRE had announced a
Generation Based Incentive (GBI) Scheme for setting up of solar energy based
demonstration Projects. MNRE was to provide, through IREDA, a GBI of a maximum
of Rs.12 per kWh to the eligible Projects which were commissioned by 31st December,
2009, after taking into account the power purchase rate (per kWh) provided by SERC or
the utility for the Project. Any Project commissioned after 31st December, 2009 would
have been eligible for an incentive with a 5% reduction and a ceiling of Rs.11.40 per
kWh and available for a maximum period of 10 years from the date of commissioning
of the Project. The scheme is limited to plant capacities of a total of 50 MW for the
country, with a ceiling of maximum 10 MW for a state.
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Side by side, different states like Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh etc. have declared their solar power policies. The benefits of the JNNSM
which is a part of the eight mission documents under India’s National Action Plan on
Climate Change (NAPCC) and a significant contribution to low carbon sustainable
development strategy for the Indian economy are as follows:
 To create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar

power by 2022.
 To create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability,
particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership.
In addition the State Nodal Agencies (SNA) of MNRE along with the State
Governments has announced several policies towards promoting large scale solar power
generation. Gujarat Solar Power Policy-2009 is the best example of State Policy under
which around 850 MW capacity solar PV power Projects have been connected to the
national grid. Presently a number of states have launched their Solar Power Policies
namely Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh etc. In addition to the
policies Government is implementing Renewable Power Obligation (RPO) for the
Generators and the Distributors in the state towards promoting solar power by making
specific consideration under RPO.
The target of Uttar Pradesh Solar Policy -2012 has been to reach 500 MW of installed
capacity of Solar Power Project in the state by March 2017
3.5. Energy Sector of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the second largest state in India by area and the most populous
state. The State of UP is located in the northern region of India with installed electricity
generation capacity of 18616 MW7 (as on 31st March, 2016). The main source for
electricity generation is mainly from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Renewable
power forms 3% of the total installed capacity (including small hydro). Figure 3.6 below
shows that Uttar Pradesh has around 3% of the total renewable energy resource potential
of India.
7
http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/installedcapacity/2016/installed_capacity-03.pdf
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Andaman & Nicobar, 0% Delhi, 0%
Puducherry, 0%
West Bengal, 1%
Uttar Pradesh, 3% Uttarakhand, Lakshwadeep, 0%
Others, 0%
2%DadaDCra&hmaNanandgi&garDarHhiua, ,v0e0%%li, 0%
Tripura, 0% Arunachal Pradesh, 1%
Telangana, 2% Assam, 2%
Andhra Pradesh, 6%
Bihar, 1% Chhatisgarh, 2%
Goa, 0%
Sikkim, 1% Tamil Nadu,

4%
Gujarat, 8%
Haryana,
1%
Rajasthan, 17%
Himachal Pradesh, 4%
Jammu & Kashmir, 13%
Punjab, 1%
Orissa, 3%
Nagaland, 1%
Mizoram, 1% Maharashtra, 8%
Meghalaya, 1%
Manipur, 1% Karnataka, 5%Jharkhand, 2%
Madhya Pradesh, 7%
Kerala, 1%
(Source: www.mnre.gov.in)
FIGURE 3.6: ESTIMATED POTENTIAL OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA
3.5.1. Power Demand- Supply Position

Uttar Pradesh regularly experiences power crises because the demand for electricity
frequently exceeds supply significantly. Over the last 20 years, power shortage has
remained within the range of 10-15%, while shortages in periods of peak demand
reaches at even higher levels. In 2013, even a gap of up to 43% opened up between the
state's demand and supply of electricity. UP suffered a deficit of 12.5% of power supply
during 2015-16. Figure 3.7 represents the power supply scenario in the state for the
period 2015-16.
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400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Required MU/Day Available MU/Day
FIGURE 3.7: POWER SUPPLY POSITION IN UP IN 2015-16
3.6. Renewable Energy Initiatives of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA)
administers and promotes RE development in the state as the state is having less
renewable energy in numbers as compared to other states. A target capacity addition of
500 MW of Grid connected Solar Power Plant has been envisaged to be achieved till
March 2017.
3.7. Solar Power Policy of Uttar Pradesh

The Government of Uttar Pradesh, in order to promote grid connected solar energy
generation, had come out with Uttar Pradesh Solar Energy Policy-2013 to generate 500
MW of Solar Energy by 2017. As per the policy, energy generated from solar power
Projects that are commissioned during the policy period may be sold to Distribution
Utilities of UPPCL or to a third party or be used for captive purpose. Project
Developers interested in selling energy generated from Solar Power Plants to
Distribution Utilities of UPPCL will have to compulsorily participate in competitive
bidding for the total megawatt capacity they wish to offer at the tariff discovered by
bidding, subject to approval by UPERC. In the event, the total aggregate capacity of the
bids received is more than 200 MW8, selection of bidders shall be done on the basis of
the lowest quoted tariff in ascending order. UPPCL will sign PPA with successful
bidders for a period of ten years.
8
http://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/state-power-policies/UP-Solar-Power-Policy.pdf
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3.8. Justification
UP suffered a deficit of 12.5% of power supply during 2015-16. While a majority of the
Uttar Pradesh electricity supply is generated from fossil fuels such as coal and natural
gas, these traditional energy sources face a number of challenges including rising prices,
security concerns over dependence on imports from a limited number of countries which
have significant fossil fuel supplies, and growing environmental concerns over the
climate change risks associated with power generation using fossil fuels. As a result of
these and other challenges facing traditional energy sources, governments, businesses
and consumers are increasingly supporting the development of alternative energy
sources and new technologies for electricity generation. Renewable energy sources such
as solar, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric and wind power generation have emerged
as potential alternatives which address some of these concerns.
Solar power generation has emerged as one of the most rapidly growing renewable
sources of electricity. In January 2015 the Indian government significantly expanded
its solar plans, targeting 100 GW of solar capacity (including 40 GW from
rooftop solar) by 2022. Moreover Solar RPO of 1 % is implemented in the state of
Uttar Pradesh.
Need of electricity, Environmental benefit and RPO requirement significantly justifies

the present project.
4. SITE ASSESSMENT
The proposed site is located near Sector 16 of Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar
district of Uttar Pradesh state. Greater Noida lies between 28.38° and 28.61° North of
Latitude and between 77.43° and 77.61° East of Longitude. Gautam Buddh Nagar
district of Uttar Pradesh covers the geographical area of 1442 Sq. km
The district receives rain under the influence of southwest monsoons. As per Central
Ground Water Board (CGWB) 2009 Report, maximum rainfall occurs during the
monsoon period i.e., from June to September having the normal value of 600 mm which
is 85.7% of annual rainfall.
The climate of the district is sub-humid and characterized by hot summer and cold
season. After February, there is a continuous increase in temperature till May which is
generally the hottest month with average mean temperature of 33°C. The coldest month
is January with average mean temperature of 14°C followed by December with 15°C.
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FIGURE 4.1: DISTRICT MAP OF GAUTAM BUDDH NAGAR, UTTAR PRADESH
4.1. Micro-Climate
Gautam Buddh Nagar district is located in the ‘Composite’ Climatic Zone of the
country. According to the Meteonorm database, the Project location, near Sector
16 of Greater Noida of Uttar Pradesh state, receives a daily global solar radiation
ranging from around 3.71 kWh/m 2 (in December) to 7.16 kWh/m 2 (in May) over the
year. The annual daily average global solar radiation over horizontal surface has been
estimated as 5.4 kWh/m2 while the annual average daily global solar radiation over
inclined surface (i.e. at the latitude of the location) has been estimated as 6.13 kWh/m 2.
The climatic parameters namely the ambient temperature, relative humidity and wind
speed at the Project Location have been given in Table 4.1 below for each month of the
year.
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TABLE 4.1: CLIMATIC PARAMETERS AT THE PROJECT LOCATION
Month Wind Speed Ambient Relative

(m/s) Temperature (oC) Humidity (%)
Jan 1.8 13.7 67
Feb 1.9 17.7 60
Mar 2 23.6 48
Apr 2.2 29.9 33
May 2.5 33 38
Jun 2.3 32.8 52
Jul 2.2 31.4 68
Aug 2 30.5 71
Sep 1.6 29.3 67
Oct 1.1 25.9 57
Nov 1 20.3 58
Dec 1.3 15.4 64
4.2. The Project Location
The land in the proposed solar plant area appears stable and as per the details mentioned
in the District Ground Water Report of Gautam Buddh Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh,
2009, underground water is available at around 150 - 350 m depth. Overall, the area is
flat. Figure 4.2 below present the satellite map of the region indicating the proposed
location.
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Project
Location
FIGURE 4.2: SATELLITE VIEW OF THE PROPOSED LOCATION
4.3. Connectivity
The selected Project location has well established connectivity and accessibility through
road and rail networks.
Air
The nearest airport from the location is at Delhi which is located around 50 km from the
site.
By Rail
Maripat railway station is the nearest railway station from the Project location which is
located around 1 km.
By Road
The location has good proximity with the National Highway. The Project area is located
at a distance of 4 kM from NH 34 and 14 kM from NH 24 and is well connected through
the approach roads.
Following key features and site characteristics of the selected location for setting up the
8 MWAC capacity Solar PV based Power Project have been observed during the site
assessment:
 Geographical coordinates of the Project location are 28.5827° North and
77.4948° East.
 The location falls under the ‘Composite’ climatic zone of India.
 The Project location has good accessibility from Greater Noida.
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 There are some shading elements adjacent to the project location like trees and
Transmission Tower which may cause shading effect on the plant. Moreover, there
are some trees within the plant area which shall have to be removed before
construction of plant.
 Nearest Commercial Airport is at Delhi which is about 50 kM from the Project
location.
 Maripat is the nearest Railway Station from the location.
 The site has loose sandy soil and the surface is almost flat; hence limited site
preparation is envisaged for levelling of the area.
 Power from the proposed plant will be evacuated to the nearest 10 MVA, 33/11 kV
ESS-II Sub-station-cum-Switching Station of NPCL, situated at a distance of 3 kMs
from site.
4.4. The Land

The total land available at the selected location is 26.93 Acres for use in the solar PV
Project. The proposed site is located near Sector 16 of Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh
Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state in India. Figure 4.3 below presents the preliminary
plot plan of the selected location.
FIGURE 4.3: PRELIMINARY PLOT PLAN OF THE PROJECT LOCATION
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4.5. Shading Aspects
Shading Analysis is one of the most essential steps in Solar Energy System design.
While designing a PV system, it is important to analyse shadings caused by surrounding
objects and/or vegetation or due to adjacent rows of Solar Module Arrays. The solar
array layout is planned and optimised in such a way that minimum shadow is created by
the PV arrays during effective sunshine hours. Appropriate spacing between the PV
panels can maximize the ratio between the energy production and the cost, this being
dependent upon local terrain and shading conditions and the time-of-day value of the
energy produced.
FIGURE 4.4: MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO ARRAYS OF SOLAR PV MODULES
While preparing the site plan, the Control Building, Guard House, Inverters and
Transformers need to be positioned in such a way so as to avoid any shadow on PV
arrays from these objects. A full scale Shade Analysis of the Plant Buildings and inter-
row spacing is required to be performed during detailed design and engineering. A
typical arrangement of Solar PV arrays from the point of view of inter-row shading is
given above in Figure 4.4. Table 4.2 below present the various aspects of the selected
site captured during the site visit.
As already explained in the earlier section, there are some shading elements adjacent to
the project location like trees and Transmission Tower which may cause shading effect
on the plant. The land is stable and suitable for setting up of 8 MWAC solar PV Power
Plant based on Mono crystalline based technology.
TABLE 4.2: PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SELECTED LAND
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A
Existing Boundary wall and transmission line
Flat plant area

33/102
RESTRICTED
Existing Building inside Plant Premises
4.6. Water availability
Except for cleaning of the solar PV panels, there is very limited water requirement in
solar PV power Projects. Underground water through Bore holes shall be used during
construction and O&M stage. Alternatively, water can be procured from adjoining
villages through tankers for plant construction and cleaning purposes.
4.7. Power Evacuation

The power generated from the Solar PV Project is proposed to be evacuated through the
nearest 10 MVA, 33/11 kV ESS-II Sub-station-cum-Switching Station. This is around 3
kilometres from the Project site.
The interconnection between GSS and the Plant will be through 33 kV cables which will
be laid separately by NPCL.
As regards the aspect of site topography and terrain, shading aspects, accessibility and
connectivity and infrastructure availability, the selected location satisfies all major
criteria of site selection for implementation of the 8 MWAC solar PV power Project.
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5. SOLAR RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
The intermittence and non-uniform distribution of solar irradiance across the globe
makes solar radiation resource assessment one of the most important tasks for techno-
commercial viability of Solar PV Power Projects. As there is non-availability of on-site
long term measured solar radiation data; it is essential to explore the available solar
radiation database to be used for the assessment. The energy yield estimation should
thereafter be carried out using the appropriate solar radiation databases for the location.
This section addresses review of the solar radiation resource assessment of the site at
Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
5.1. Introduction
The electrical output of a solar Power Plant is dependent on the incident solar radiation it
receives. Outside the Earth’s atmosphere, on a surface normal to the solar beam, the
power density is 1,365W/m2 which is known as ‘Solar Constant’9. As the solar radiation
passes through the atmosphere, depending on the length of the atmospheric path
traversed by the solar radiation and the quantity of dust, water vapour, ozone, CO 2 and
other aerosols/ gases present, some amount of it is scattered and absorbed. The diffused
radiation plus the direct irradiance from the sun are together termed as Global (or Total)
Irradiance. The diffused sunlight can vary from about 20% on a clear day to 100% in
heavily overcast conditions. The peak irradiance of 1,000 W/m 2 has been taken as the
standard value by which PV Modules are rated 10. However, the total solar energy
received in a day over a specific area, called Daily Solar Irradiance or Insolation, is more
important than the instantaneous solar irradiance. The solar resource is not equally
available in all regions of the globe. On a clear day in the tropics, when the sun is
overhead, the global irradiance can exceed 1000W/m2 but in higher latitudes, it rarely
exceeds 850W/m2. Similarly, Daily Solar Insolation may be 5-7 kWh/m 2/day in the
tropics but could be less than 0.5 kWh/m2/day in higher latitudes.
9
The solar constant is defined as the quantity of solar energy (W/m²) at normal incidence outside the atmosphere (extraterrestrial) at the mean sun-
earth distance. Its mean value is 1367.7 W/m².
10
1MW PV Power plant will generate 1MW of electricity in an irradiance of 1000W/m2 with a cell temperature of 25oC and Air Mass of 1.5.
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Moreover, at any particular station, data recording can be sporadic leading to incomplete
climatic 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 (SMSE) of NASA, USA data set is a continuous and consistent 22-year global
climatology of insolation and meteorology data on a 1° by 1° grid system. Utilizing the
SMSE data set, an estimate of the renewable energy resource potential can be
determined for any location on the globe which is considered to be accurate enough for
feasibility studies of new RE Projects. In a similar line, the satellite data of solar
radiation and climatic parameters from SWERA11 and NREL12 are available which are
also similar or of close resolution to the NASA data. India, being a tropical country, is
blessed with good sunshine over most parts with the number of clear sunny days in a
year being quite high. The country receives solar energy equivalent to more than 5,000
trillion kWh per year. India’s equivalent solar energy potential is about 6,000 million
GWh of energy per year
5.2. Solar Radiation over Greater Noida,

In order to estimate the energy yield and system sizing for the Solar PV Power Projects,
GHI data along with micro- climatic parameters are essential. IMD of Government of
India maintains a nationwide network of Radiation Stations which measure solar
radiation, daily duration of sunshine and other climatic parameters on hourly/ daily
basis. For the proposed Project site, ground measured database is not available and the
only way to predict the solar radiation is the realistic modelling (interpolation/
Projection/ statistical analysis) based on the national/ international databases. In context
to Project locations in the country, the following solar radiation and climatic databases
are usually availed of.
5.2.1. IMD Data

The solar data collected at IMD Stations is available in the “Solar Radiation Handbook
2008”, published by the MNRE. The database contains global and diffuse solar radiation
for several locations of India. Till date this is assumed to be most potential resource of
solar radiation resource assessment in context of India. Following additional databases
are available for several Indian locations based on the IMD data:
 Solar Radiation over India, (1980), A Mani, Allied Publishers, New Delhi
 Handbook of Solar Radiation, (1982), A Mani and S. Rangrajan, Allied Publishers,
New Delhi
 Solar Radiation Handbook, (2008), MNRE, Government of India
 Solar handbook of Solar Radiant Energy Over India, (2009), MNRE,
Government of India
11
maps.nrel.gov/SWERA
12
mnre.gov.in/sec/solar-assmnt.htm
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It has been observed that IMD data for the selected district and location is not available.
The nearest location at which measured GHI data is available is Delhi which is more
than 50 kM away from the selected location.
5.2.2. NASA Satellite Data

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) based satellite
measurements produce the general assessment of Global GHI for any grid reference
across the globe. The Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy (SMSE) dataset provides
the satellite data of daily GHI (grid 1 o x 1o) for a 22 year period. The data is in the form
of monthly average daily form derived from 22 years of satellite data.
5.2.3. NREL Satellite Data

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) produces solar resource maps of
India using SUNY model based on visible images from a Meteosat satellite. The SUNY
model produces estimates of global and direct irradiance at hourly intervals on the 10-
km grid for all of India. The uncertainties for Sunny modelled data range from 8% under
optimal conditions to more than 25% for less-than optimal input data.
5.2.4. Meteonorm Database

Meteonorm is the weather data and modelling tool that provides approximately
20 years of data for GHI and other climatic parameters like ambient temperature,
humidity, wind speed etc. The data is collected from ground based weather stations and
supplemented with satellite data where there is a low density of ground weather stations.
Hourly values are calculated from the collected data using a stochastic model
comprising interpolation.
The monthly average of daily GHI at the selected Project location has been presented
using all possible weather data sources.
TABLE 5.1: DAILY SOLAR RADIATION OVER THE PROJECT SITE
GHI (kWh/m2/ day)

Month
NREL NASA Meteonorm 7 Delhi-IMD
Jan 3.26 3.80 3.81 3.70
Feb 4.43 4.68 4.89 4.56
Mar 5.71 5.80 6.07 5.73
Apr 6.72 6.30 6.89 6.69
May 6.47 6.42 7.16 6.79
Jun 6.04 6.07 6.55 6.26
Jul 5.09 5.22 5.36 5.30
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GHI (kWh/m2/ day)
Month
Aug 5.09 4.81 5.15 4.94
Sep 5.30 5.05 5.68 5.25
Oct 4.91 4.83 5.31 4.67
Nov 3.86 4.18 4.28 3.93
Dec 3.19 3.52 3.71 3.31
Average 5.01 5.05 5.40 5.07
Annual 1827 1843 1973 1850
The annual GHIs derived from all the above databases for the selected Project location
of Uttar Pradesh have been presented in Figure 5.1 below.
2500
1973
2000 1843 1850
1827
Annual GHI kWh/m2
1500
1000
500
0
FIGURE 5.1: ANNUAL GHI OVER PROJECT SITE USING DIFFERENT DATA SOURCES
NASA and IMD provides monthly database whereas NREL and Meteonorm are hourly
databases. In order to get accurate Yield Estimation, it is recommended to use hourly
database. As Meteonorm interpolated database is considerably more accepted and
widely used in industry, hence Meteonorm database has been used for the Energy Yield
Assessment of the PV Project under reference in the Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Figure 5.2 below provides a graphical representation of monthly variations of

Meteonorm generated Global Horizontal Irradiance and Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance
data over a period of 12 months.
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250
200
150
100
50
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9101112
Global horizontal radiation, kWh/m²/month

Diffuse horizontal radiation, kWh/m²/month
FIGURE 5.2: MONTHLY GLOBAL HORIZONTAL IRRADIANCE AND DIFFUSE

HORIZONTAL IRRADIANCE AT THE PROJECT SITE
All Solar Database Resources indicate that the annual average daily GHI at the selected
Project location is more than 5.0 kWh/m2 which suggests that the current location is
suitable for solar power Project.
In addition to above, there are other databases available viz. ISHRAE, SolarGIS and
3TIER based on moderate and high resolution satellite data as well as statistically
processed ground data.
5.3. Climatic Condition

The climatic condition of the Project location has been described in this section.
5.3.1. Site Temperature

The Project location experiences extreme ambient temperature conditions. Using hourly
data of Meteonorm 7 database, the minimum and maximum instantaneous temperatures
at the location have been observed to be around 5 oC and 45 oC respectively. The annual
average ambient temperature is around 25oC. Figure 5.3 below presents the monthly
temperature profile of the Project location over a typical year.
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35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9101112
Ambient Temperature, C
FIGURE 5.3: AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AT THE PROJECT LOCATION
Higher temperature will lead to higher temperature driven losses in the Solar PV
Modules thereby effectively reducing the generated energy. The Thin Film Modules will
typically have comparatively lower temperature losses than Mono / Multi-Crystalline
Solar PV Modules under such ambient condition as the temperature coefficient of Thin
Film PV Modules is lower than Mono/ Multi- Crystalline PV Modules.
5.3.2. Wind Speed
Wind speed at the Project location is observed to be low. Using hourly data of
Meteonorm 7 database for the Project location, the minimum and maximum
instantaneous wind speeds have been observed to be varying between 0 m/s to
9.6 m/s respectively. The annual average wind speed is around 1.8 m/s. Figure
5.4 below presents the monthly average profile of prevailing wind speed at the Project
location over a typical year.
3
0
123456789101112
Wind Speed, m/s
FIGURE 5.4: PREVAILING WIND SPEED AT THE PROJECT LOCATION
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The maximum wind speed at a height of 10 meter is 9.6 m/s which will progressively
reduce as the height reduces. Wind speed will have a direct bearing on the design of the
Solar PV Module structures & foundations.
However, on a positive side, as the air velocity increases the cell temperature will
drop due to greater convective heat transfer from the Module surface which will result in
better PV better module performance.
5.3.3. Relative Humidity

As per the Meteronorm 7 database, the annual average Relative Humidity is around
57%. Figure 5.5 below presents the monthly average profile of Relative Humidity at the
Project location over a typical year.
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9101112
Relative humidity, %
FIGURE 5.5: RELATIVE HUMIDITY AT THE PROJECT LOCATION
Higher humidity causes higher scattering of solar irradiance due to presence of water
vapour particles in air which results in lower GHI. Moreover chance of humidity
ingression to the Solar Cell enclosure and corrosion of structures is increased during
high humidity season.
5.3.4. Rainfall
Using Meteonorm database, the annual rainfall has been observed to be around 721 mm.
Figure 5.6 below presents the monthly average profile of Rainfall at the Project location
over a typical year.
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250
200
150
100
50
1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9101112
Precipitation, mm
FIGURE 5.6: PRECIPITATION AT THE PROJECT LOCATION
During rainy season higher scattering of Solar irradiance due to presence of clouds occur
which results in lower GHI and lower generation.
However on the positive side, rain cleans the Module and reduces the soiling loss which
results in a better plant performance.
6. ASSESSMENT OF 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. Solar 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 stand-alone or off grid systems, easily complementing other energy
sources. SPV offers several advantages viz.
 Complementarities with other energy resources; both conventional and renewable

 Flexibility towards implementation, highly modular and
 Environmental advantages
Depending on the location, resource availability, meteorological parameters,

manufacturing, proven history, technology track record, availability and other factors;
the appropriate solar PV technology is required to be selected for any location.
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6.1. Global Scenario
Globally, new solar capacity addition grew to 50 GW in 2015, y-o-y growth of 25%.
Asian countries led by China and Japan dominated the global solar landscape,
representing about 59% of the global PV market in 2015. India added more than 2 GW
capacity in 2015-16 to reach a cumulative capacity of
7.8 GW13 by the end of the June 2016. More than half of all PV capacity in operation
was added in the past three-four years. Figure 6.1 below presents the growth of solar PV
installation from year 2005 to 2015. This allowed India to rise to the rank fifth for
globally for addition and nineth14 in terms of cumulative installed Solar Capacity. Solar
market in the Americas also continued to grow with the USA, Canada and Chile leading
the pace but Europe, which had previously led the way for the solar industry globally,
has seen stalling of growth in recent times because of the pull back of the FiTs
FIGURE 6.1: SOLAR PV CAPACITY GROWTH WORLD-WIDE FROM 2005 TO 2015
13
http://mnre.gov.in/mission-and-vision-2/achievements/
14
http://www.ren21.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/GSR_2016_Full_Report_REN21.pdf
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FIGURE 6.2: CUMULATIVE INSTALLED SOLAR CAPACITY
(Source: Renewable Global Status Report-2016)
6.2. Indian Scenario

India is slowly building up its installed solar power capacity, through comprehensive
and ambitious National Solar Mission, State Solar Policies, and relatively increased
enforcement of the Renewable Purchase Obligation. Solar Energy estimated by national
Institute of Solar Energy at around 750 Gigawatts (GW)15 (based on the assumption that
3% of wasteland in each state can be used for solar power Projects along with an
assessment of the potential for rooftop solar).
This represents around three-times the India’s total installed power capacity today.
Although the available solar resource is the strongest in north and northwest of the
country (Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir), it is also of considerable value in a number of
other states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. India has
seen a quick growth in the installed capacity of Solar generation. Utility-scale solar
photovoltaic (PV) Projects have made the fastest in-roads, with about 7.8 GW of
capacity in place as on 30th June 2016 (up from 4.9 GW in 2015). The growth of
installed capacity of Concentrating solar power (CSP) on the contrary has been only
extremely slow with just around 200 MW in operation. Figure 6.3 below represents the
growth of Solar PV Power Project development in India in the last five years.
15
Indian Energy Outlook
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6000
4900
5000
Capacity, MW
4000
3060
3000 2650
1840
2000 1400 1250
950
1000 450 450 410
0
2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Annual Capacity AdditionInstalled Capacity
FIGURE 6.3: SOLAR PV BASED INSTALLED CAPACITY IN INDIA (MW)
Solar power is at the heart of India’s push towards low-carbon energy sources. The
overall national target is to reach 100 GW of installed capacity by 2022, a huge task
given the starting point. This total is split between 60 GW of utility- scale Projects (both
solar PV and CSP), including a series of large solar parks, with capacity generally above
500 MW each, and a further 40 GW of rooftop solar applications for commercial users
and households, together with some small-scale schemes and off-grid capacities. A
range of national and state-level initiatives have been announced in support of these
objectives. Since electricity is a shared responsibility between federal and state
authorities, the political commitment of individual states to development of solar power
is critical to the prospects for growth.
Albeit slower, India has also witnessed a growth in manufacturing of Solar PV Cells and
Modules. As of May 2016, the Solar PV Module production capacity of India stands at
5,620 MW, while the Solar Cell manufacturing capacity is 1,212 MW.
6.3. Solar PV system

A solar PV system consists of PV Cells, grouped together to form PV Modules, and
auxiliary components (i.e. balance of system - BOS) including the Inverters, Protections
& Controls etc. A typical schematic of a Grid Connected Solar PV system is given in
Figure 6.4 below.
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FIGURE 6.4: SCHEMATIC OF A GRID CONNECTED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM
Solar cells represent the fundamental power conversion unit of a Photovoltaic System.
Solar PV technologies are usually classified into three generations; depending on the
basis material used and the level of commercial maturity.
 First generation PV System: Use of wafer based crystalline silicon (c-Si) either
single crystalline or multi-crystalline
 Second Generation PV Systems: Based on the thin-film technology and
generally includes:
o Amorphous and micromorph silicon

o Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and
o Copper Indium – Selenide (CIS) & Copper Indium Gallium Di-Selenide
(CIGS)
 Third Generation PV Systems: Concentrating Solar PV (CPV), Desensitize

PV, Polymer cells etc. are still in demonstration or have not yet been
commercialized widely.
6.3.1. 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

 Multi-Crystalline silicon solar cell
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6.3.1.1. SINGLE/MONO-CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL
This is the most established and efficient solar cell technology till date, having a higher
Module efficiency up to around 22%. The Cell and Module fabrication technology is
well developed and reliable. These cells are manufactured from single silicon crystal.
During manufacturing, C-Si crystals are cut from cylindrical ingots and therefore the
cells do not completely cover a square solar cell Module.
FIGURE 6.5: MONO-CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL AND MODULE
6.3.1.2. MULTI-CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL (POLY-SI OR MC-SI)
The production of Multi-crystalline cells is more cost-efficient. These are manufactured
by cooling a graphite mould 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. These cells have Module
efficiency of around 15-17%.
FIGURE 6.6: MULTI-CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL AND MODULE
6.3.2. Thin film solar cell technology

In this approach, thin layers of semiconductor materials are deposited on a supporting
substrate, such as a large sheet of glass. These are fundamentally different in their
composition and their production from crystalline photovoltaic Modules. 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. Typically, less than a micron
thickness of semiconductor material is required, 100-1000 times less than the thickness
of Silicon wafer.
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FIGURE 6.7: THIN FILM SOLAR CELL AND MODULE
A brief comparison of different solar PV technologies with respect to efficiency,

stability, current status etc. is presented in Table 6.1 below.
TABLE 6.1: COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT CONVENTIONAL SOLAR PV TECHNOLOGIES
Material Thickness Efficiency (%) Colour Features
Mono-crystalline Si 0.3 mm 16 – 22 (Module) Dark blue, black Lengthy production

solar cells with AR coating, procedure, wafer sawing
grey WO AR necessary. Best researched
coating solar cell material –
highest power/area ratio.
Multi-crystalline Si 0.3 mm 15 – 17 (Module) Blue with AR Wafer sawing necessary.

solar cells coating, silver- Most important production
grey without AR procedure at least for the
coating next ten years.
Amorphous silicon 0.0001 5–8 Red-blue, Black Lower efficiency, shorter

mm life span. No sawing
(Module) necessary, possible
production in the form of
band.
Cadmium Telluride 0.008 mm 14-17 Dark green, Poisonous raw materials,

(CdTe) Black significant decrease in
(Module) production costs expected in
the future.
Copper-Indium- 0.003 mm 11 – 14 (Module) Black Limited Indium supply in

Selenide (CIS) nature. Significant decrease in
production costs possible in
the future.
(Source: www.pvresources.com)
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6.4. Market Share
The photovoltaic market is still dominated by silicon based solar cells, which accounted
more than 90% of the market in 2015 and will continue to dominate for many years. It
has been noticed that the global market share of crystalline solar PV technology is
presently around 92% with the Thin Film capturing around 4% of the market share. In
the last 10 years, the efficiency of commercial wafer-based silicon Modules increased
from about 12% to around 22%. At the same time, CdTe Module efficiency increased
from 7% to 17%. While the market share of multi-crystalline solar PV was around
65% in 2015, the share of mono-crystalline was around 22%. Within Thin Film
technology in 2015, CdTe was the leader with a total market share of 2.2%. In 2015, the
market share of all Thin Film technologies combined was 8%. A break-up of the market
share of solar PV technologies is given in Figure 6.8.
a-Si,
CdTe, 4% 1% CIGA, 2%
Mono -
crystalline , 24%
Multi- crystalline
, 69%
FIGURE 6.8: MARKET SHARE OF DIFFERENT SOLAR PV TECHNOLOGIES
The commonly used standards for Solar PV Modules as applicable in the Indian context
are as follows.
Sr. No. Parameter Value
1. IEC 61215 Crystalline silicon terrestrial

photovoltaic (PV) modules -
Design qualification and type
approval
2. IEC 61853 - Part 1 PV module performance testing
and energy rating
3. IEC 61730 – 1 Edition 1.2 Photovoltaic (PV) module safety
2013-03 qualification – Part 1:
Requirements for construction
2004-10 qualification – Part 2:
Requirements for Testing
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5. IEC/TS 61836 Solar Photovoltaic Energy Systems -

Terms, Definitions and Symbols
6. IEC 62804 Potential Induced Degradation (PID)
7. IEC 60364-4-41 Protection against electric shock
8. IEC 60068-2-68 Environmental Testing - Part 2: Tests -

Test L: Dust and Sand
9. IEC 62716 Photovoltaic (PV) Modules - Ammonia

Corrosion Testing
10. IEC 62782 Dynamic Mechanical Load Testing for

Photovoltaic (PV) Modules
11. IEC 62759 Transportation Testing of Photovoltaic

(PV) Modules
12. IEC 61345 UV test for Photovoltaic (PV) modules
13. IEC 61701 Resistance to salt mist and corrosion
14. IEC 60904 Photovoltaic devices
15. EN 50380 Datasheet and nameplate information for

photovoltaic Modules
16. Conformité Européenne (EC The certified product conforms to the EU

health, safety and Environmental
requirements.
6.5. PV Technology Selection for the reference

Project
The nameplate capacity of solar PV Modules is defined at Standard Test Conditions
(Solar Irradiance=1000 W/m2, Cell Temperature=25oC and Air Mass=1.5).
Depending on their installed locations, higher ambient temperature and consequently
Module temperature can reduce output efficiency by 10- 25%. As the temperature of
the solar panel increases, its output current increases exponentially, while the voltage
output is reduced linearly. In fact, the voltage reduction is so predictable, that it can be
used to accurately measure temperature. As a result, higher temperature severely reduces
the production of power of solar PV Module. In the technical data sheet of the solar PV
Module, the ‘temperature coefficient’ is defined; which provides the rate of change
(derivative) with respect to temperature of different PV Module performance
parameters. The temperature coefficient explains how much power the panel
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will lose16 when the temperature rises say by 1°C above 25°C. From the technical
performance (energy yield) point of view, Thin Film solar PV Modules may perform
better; but their maturity, lone term proven record and availability and efficiency is not
comparable with the Crystalline technology. CPV technology is at a very initial stage
across the globe. Table 6.2 below presents the qualitative comparison between
Crystalline and Thin Film Technologies.
TABLE 6.2: COMPARISON BETWEEN CRYSTALLINE AND THIN FILM TECHNOLOGIES
Parameter Crystalline Silicon (Mono and Multi) Thin film
Types of Materials Mono-crystalline Amorphous silicon (a-Si)

Multi-crystalline/ Poly-crystalline Cadmium telluride (CdTe)
Copper indium (gallium) Di-selenide (CIS/
CIGS)
Material Requires more material. Requires less material

Requirement
Crystalline silicon (c-Si) has been used as The selected materials are all strong light
the light-absorbing semiconductor in most absorbers and only need to be about 1 micron
solar cells. To absorb sufficient amount of thick, so materials costs are significantly
light it requires a considerable thickness reduced.
(several hundred microns) of material
Manufacturing Mono-crystalline is produced by slicing Each of the three materials is amenable to large
Process wafers (up to 150mm diameter and 350 area deposition (on to substrates of about 1
microns thick) from a high-purity single meter dimensions) and hence high volume
crystal Module. Mono-crystalline silicon, manufacturing. The Thin Film semiconductor
made by sawing a cast block of silicon layers are deposited on either coated glass or
first into bars and then wafers. stainless steel sheet.
Power High power per given area Low power per given area
Efficiency 11–22% 5 – 17 %
Effect of Effect is more on output power to Effect is less compared to crystalline silicon
Temperature (Higher temperature coefficient cells (Low temperature coefficient)
compared to Thin Films)
Shade Tolerance Less shade tolerant More shade tolerant
Logistics Fewer Modules - lower shipping cost More Modules - more shipping cost
Mounting structures Fewer Modules- less mounting More Modules- more mounting structures per
structures per kW kW
required
Accessories & Requires less cables, Junction Boxes etc. Requires more cables, Junction Boxes etc.
additional materials
Inverters High Inverter flexibility Limited Inverter flexibility
16
For example, the temperature coefficient of power for a solar PV panel is -0.485% per degree C indicates that for every degree
rise of temperature above 25°C, the maximum power of PV panel will reduce by 0.485%.
The temperature coefficient of power is always negative. With increase in temperature, the solar PV module power will decrease
accordingly. Temperature coefficient for thin film silicon solar cell is around -0.3%/ oC while that of crystalline solar cell is
around -0.45%/oC which indicates that when the module operates at 50 oC cell temperature, compared to the efficiency reached
on 25oC test standard , thin film silicon solar module will lose around 7% while and the loss for crystalline will be around 11%.
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Parameter Crystalline Silicon (Mono and Multi) Thin film
Cost Higher cost per watt Lower cost per watt
Output Output depends on number of solar Directly proportion on the dimension of the
cells in the Module Module
Multi-crystalline Solar Technology is the most mature technology worldwide and

comprises around 50 percent international market. Mono-crystalline Solar Cells
currently offer maximum efficiency albeit with higher cost. Thin Film Solar PV
Technology is an emerging technology and is being commercialized rapidly in all parts
of the world. A comparative chart of available SPV Technologies along with relative
rankings as applicable for the Project location is presented in Table 6.3.
TABLE 6.3: COMPARATIVE CHART OF AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Sr. Priority Parameters Weightage Scale Scale Scale

No.
Mono- Multi- Thin film
Crystalline Crystalline
1. 6 Efficiency 12% 10 7 7
2. 2 Temperature 11% 9 5 10
Tolerance
3. 4 Shade Tolerance 10% 5 5 10
4. 8 Power Output 7% 10 7 7
5. 10 Market share 5% 8 10 3
6. 9 Environmental Issues 6% 10 10 3
7. 11 Balance of System 4% 10 7 4
(mounting structure,
cabling, etc.)
8. 12 Accessories & 3% 10 7 3
additional materials
9. 13 Inverter flexibility 2% 10 10 3
10. 1 Cost 13% 5 8 8
11. 14 Stabilization 1% 10 8 3
12. 7 Status of 8% 10 10 9
commercialization
13. 5 Proven at MW scale in 10% 8 7 10
Hot climates
14. 3 Spectral gain 9% 3 3 10
Total 100% 7.8 7.0 7.7
Selection choice 1 2 3
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From the assessment of current technical and commercial aspects of various
commercially available Solar PV Technologies as well as study of the Meteorological
Parameters including the annual behaviour of solar radiation and climatic conditions
over the location in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh; Mono Crystalline solar PV technology
has been identified as the most suitable technology for implementation the MW scale
solar PV power Project at the location. There are several manufacturers available for
Mono Crystalline Solar PV Modules across the globe. However the optimum
manufacturer shall be decided through the TIER-117 ranking of BNEF’s (Bloomberg
New Energy Finance) along with the actual on-ground capacity installation across the
world including India, historical performance of the Modules in the different Projects,
especially in Indian condition, complying the required IEC codes and standards
applicable in India etc. in the implementation stage.
7. ESTIMATION OF ANNUAL ENERGY YIELD

The energy yield estimation has been carried out by the Consultant using PVSyst
software (V6.4.6) with Solar Resource data from Meteonorm 7.1 Weather Database. The
complete Project has been planned using Mono- crystalline Solar PV Modules mounted
on fixed tilt structures with a tilt angle of 23o towards south.
7.1. Introduction
The selected Project location at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh falls under the
‘Composite’ climatic zone of India. Figure 7.1 below presents the climatic zone map of
India indicating the Project location.
17
Ones who have provided own-brand, own-manufactured products to five different projects, which have been financed non-recourse
by five different (non- development) banks, in the past two years
http://about.bnef.com/content/uploads/sites/4/2012/12/bnef_2012-12-03_PVModuleTiering.pdf
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Project
Location
FIGURE 7.1: CLIMATIC ZONE MAP OF INDIA
(Source: National Buildings Code 2005)
The location experiences a temperature ranging from 5°C to 45°C across the year. The
diffuse component of solar irradiance is around 38% of the Global Horizontal Irradiance
as per the Meteonorm Weather Database.
7.2. Solar and Meteorology data

For the detailed Solar Radiation Resource Assessment exercise, Global Solar Radiation,
Diffuse Solar Radiation and Mean Hourly Temperature data from Meteonorm 7 have
been used for estimation of the energy yield from the proposed Power Plant.
Additionally, solar radiation data from all available sources, relevant to the site have
been collected and compared for the proposed site. The optimum and most relevant
value of global horizontal irradiance have been considered for the energy yield
calculation.
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7.3. PV Module
Solar PV Modules are one of the most important parts of the solar PV plant. It accounts
for almost 50-70% of the total power plant cost. In the proposed project, PV Module of
Mono Crystalline technology from SunPower (Model: X21- 345) shall be installed.
Technical Parameters of the selected PV module is shown in the table 7.1 below.
TABLE 7.1: PV MODULE TECHNICAL PARAMETERS
S. No PV module SunPower
1 Model X21-345
2 Technology Mono Crystalline
3 Module peak power 345
4 Open Circuit voltage, Voc,V 68.2
5 Short Circuit current, Isc, A 6.39
6 Maximum voltage, Vmp, V 57.3
7 Maximum current, Imp, A 6.02
8 Fill Factor 79
Standard Test Condition, STC
15 Module Efficiency 21.5 %
18 Temperature coefficient of Pmax -0.30%/ ˚C
20 Plant Capacity (MWp) 9.5
7.4. Inverter
Schneider Electric make solar Inverters (Model – Conext Core XC 680) have been
selected for the proposed 8 MW Solar PV Project. Technical Parameters of the selected
Schneider Electric inverter is shown in the table 7.2 below.
TABLE 7.2: INVERTER TECHNICAL PARAMETERS
S. No Inverter Technical Parameters
2 Maximum Input current, A 1280
3 Maximum Input voltage, V 1000
4 MPPT range, V 550-800
6 Output main voltage, V 380
7 Output main frequency, Hz 50
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8 Output Nominal power, kW 1000
9 Output Nominal current, A 1040
10 Maximum efficiency, % 98.9
11 European efficiency, % 98.6
12 Weight, kg 1590
13 Protection class IP42
14 Ambient operating temperature, oC -10 to 45
15 Number of inverters in plant 12
7.5. Inter Row Pitch

Inter row pitch of the plant has been selected in such a way that direct shading effect is
minimized and a minimum effective clear distance available between rows is
maintained to effectively carry out cleaning during O&M phase. Table
7.3 below shows the minimum pitch distance required to eliminate the direct shading at
different tilts for a typical table of 4.3 m width on 21st December.
TABLE 7.3: MINIMUM PITCH AT DIFFERENT HOURS FOR DIFFERENT TILTS ON 21ST
DECEMBER
21st December Min Pitch (N - S) in Meters
GHI Tilt 20 Tilt 21 Tilt 22 Tilt 23 Tilt 24 Tilt 25 Tilt 26

Hour
W/m2
9 185 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 7.0 7.1 7.1
10 356 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.4 6.5 6.6
11 492 6.0 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.3
12 577 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.3
13 588 6.0 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.3
14 544 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.4 6.5 6.6
15 432 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 7.0 7.1 7.1
The optimised pitch distance considered for the Project is 7.3 m which will entirely
eliminate the direct shading effect between 9 am to 3 pm on 21st December.
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7.6. Tilt Optimization
The tilt optimization for the subject Project has been done using PVSyst and Meteonorm
database for a typical fixed tilt configuration table of 4.3 m width and a row pitch of 7.3
m. A summary of the tilt optimization study has been presented in Table 7.4 below.
Table 7.4: TILT Optimization Study
Generation from
Tilt GHI W/m2 GTI W/m2 PVSyst (MWh)
20 1972.7 2199.2 17214
21 1972.7 2205.2 17227
22 1972.7 2210.7 17235
23 1972.7 2215.6 17237
24 1972.7 2219.9 17232
It has been observed that with the fixed tilt design, at a row pitch of 7.3 m for a table of
width 4.3m, the generated energy shall be maximum at a tilt angle of 23°.
7.7. Losses in the Solar PV System
The technical losses considered for the estimation of Energy Yield have been
summarized in Table 7.5 below.
TABLE 7.5: TECHNICAL LOSSES CONSIDERED
S. No. Technical Loses Value
1. Global Incident in coll 12.3%
2. Shading Losses -2.7%
3. Incident angle -0.9%
4. Soiling -2.0%
5. Low irradiance -1.3%
6. Module temperature -6.4%
7. Shading- Electrical Loss -0.1%
8. Module quality 1.2%
9. First year degradation -1.0%
10. Module mismatch -1.0%
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S. No. Technical Loses Value
11. DC ohmic -1.1%
12. Inverter loss during operation -1.5%
13. Inverter loss due to over nominal power -0.0%
14. Auxiliary consumption -0.5%
15. System unavailability -0.4%
16. AC ohmic -0.6%
17. External Transformer -1.1%
18. Transmission Line Losses 0.50%
19. Grid Availability 0.50%
7.8. Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF)

The energy yield estimation for the proposed Plant in Greater Noida has been carried out
using the above technical losses. The month wise pattern of energy generation from the
Project has been presented in Table 7.6 below:
TABLE 7.6: MONTHLY CUF OF THE SOLAR PV POWER PROJECT
GHI T Amb Irradiance SA Grid Output DC CUF AC CUF PR
Month kWh/m² °C kWh/m² MWh % % %
January 118.2 13.7 163.2 1317 18.69 21.69 85.2%
February 136.8 17.6 175.4 1400 22.00 25.54 84.3%
March 188.2 23.6 217.5 1697 24.08 27.96 82.4%
April 206.6 29.5 215 1639 24.03 27.89 80.5%
May 222 33.1 213.5 1560 22.14 25.70 77.2%
June 196.5 32.4 183.8 1386 20.32 23.59 79.6%
July 166.1 31.5 157.1 1175 16.67 19.35 79.0%
August 159.8 30.5 158.2 1177 16.70 19.38 78.5%
September 170.5 28.9 185.9 1426 20.90 24.27 81.0%
October 164.6 26.0 202.3 1570 22.27 25.86 81.9%
November 128.5 20.0 177 1388 20.35 23.63 82.8%
December 114.9 15.5 166.7 1330 18.88 21.91 84.2%
Annual 1972.7 25.2 2215.6 17065 20.57 23.87 81.3%
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The Consultant has observed that using fixed tilt arrangement with SunPower make
Mono-Crystalline Solar PV Modules, the solar PV power Project could generate 17065
MWh (P50 value) of electricity annually (DC CUF of 20.57% / AC CUF of 23.87%)
based on Meteonorm Solar Resource Database.
7.9. Annual Degradation

Over the estimated life of Solar PV Modules, generally considered as 25 years, the
performance of the Modules gradually degrades. Normally, PV Module Manufacturers
provide a Performance Guarantee and indicate the rate of degradation over the Module
lifetime. The selected Solar PV Modules of SunPower are warranted for an output
wattage which shall not be less than 95% at the end of 5 years and subsequently, a linear
Module degradation of 0.4%/ year from the 6th year till the end of 25th year. The
degradation of Mono/ Poly- crystalline Modules is usually lower as compared to the
Thin Film Technology.
The Consultant has considered a degradation of 1%/ year for first five years and 0.4%
from the 6th year till the end of the Project life of 25 years.
The estimated 25 years generation data, considering Modules degradation to the

extent indicated above, has been given in Table 7.7 below.
TABLE 7.7: ESTIMATED GENERATION FROM THE PROPOSED PLANT OVER 25 YEARS
Expected
Generation DC CUF AC CUF
Year MWH % %
1 17065 20.57 23.87
2 16894 20.36 23.63
3 16725 20.16 23.40
4 16558 19.96 23.16
5 16393 19.76 22.93
6 16327 19.68 22.84
7 16262 19.60 22.75
8 16197 19.52 22.66
9 16132 19.44 22.57
10 16067 19.36 22.48
11 16003 19.29 22.39
12 15939 19.21 22.30
13 15875 19.13 22.21
14 15812 19.06 22.12
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Expected
Generation DC CUF AC CUF
Year MWH % %
15 15749 18.98 22.03
16 15686 18.90 21.94
17 15623 18.83 21.86
18 15560 18.75 21.77
19 15498 18.68 21.68
20 15436 18.60 21.59
21 15374 18.53 21.51
22 15313 18.45 21.42
23 15252 18.38 21.34
24 15191 18.31 21.25
25 15130 18.23 21.17
Average 15922 19.19 22.27
7.10. Probabilistic Estimates
In the present case, the Solar Radiation data has been derived from the hourly
Meteonorm 7 data. The declared GHI Uncertainty of Meteonorm 7 data for the Project
location is 6%. Apart from the Uncertainty in Solar Irradiation data, there are other
factors like Ambient, Conversion to inclined surface, Soiling which contribute to the
overall uncertainty in the energy yield estimation from the proposed Project. The
combined overall Project Uncertainty of the Project has been analysed and computed to
be around 7.4%.
The energy generation and CUF at different probability levels for the Solar Project
under reference have been presented in the following Table 7.8.
TABLE 7.8: CUF AT DIFFERENT PROBABILITY LEVELS
Probability Level E MWh/Year CUF DC CUF AC
P50 17065 20.57 23.87
P75 16213 19.54 22.68
P90 15447 18.62 21.61
The long term energy generation and CUFs (DC & AC) over the entire life of the Project
at different Probabilistic Levels using Mono-crystalline Solar PV Technology in fixed
tilt position have been presented in the Table 7.9 below:
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TABLE 7.9: NET ENERGY AND CUF FOR THE PROJECT LIFE AT DIFFERENT
PROBABILISTIC LEVELS
P50 P75 P90
Expected DC AC Expected DC AC Expected DC AC

Generation CUF CUF Generation CUF CUF Generation CUF CUF
Year MWH % % MWH % % MWH % %
1 17065 20.57 23.87 16213 19.54 22.68 15447 18.62 21.61
2 16894 20.36 23.63 16051 19.34 22.46 15292 18.43 21.39
3 16725 20.16 23.40 15891 19.15 22.23 15139 18.25 21.18
4 16558 19.96 23.16 15732 18.96 22.01 14988 18.06 20.97
5 16393 19.76 22.93 15575 18.77 21.79 14838 17.88 20.76
6 16327 19.68 22.84 15512 18.69 21.70 14779 17.81 20.68
7 16262 19.60 22.75 15450 18.62 21.61 14720 17.74 20.59
8 16197 19.52 22.66 15388 18.55 21.53 14661 17.67 20.51
9 16132 19.44 22.57 15327 18.47 21.44 14602 17.60 20.43
10 16067 19.36 22.48 15266 18.40 21.36 14544 17.53 20.35
11 16003 19.29 22.39 15204 18.32 21.27 14486 17.46 20.26
12 15939 19.21 22.30 15144 18.25 21.19 14428 17.39 20.18
13 15875 19.13 22.21 15083 18.18 21.10 14370 17.32 20.10
14 15812 19.06 22.12 15023 18.10 21.02 14312 17.25 20.02
15 15749 18.98 22.03 14963 18.03 20.93 14255 17.18 19.94
16 15686 18.90 21.94 14903 17.96 20.85 14198 17.11 19.86
17 15623 18.83 21.86 14843 17.89 20.77 14141 17.04 19.78
18 15560 18.75 21.77 14784 17.82 20.68 14085 16.97 19.70
19 15498 18.68 21.68 14725 17.75 20.60 14029 16.91 19.63
20 15436 18.60 21.59 14666 17.67 20.52 13972 16.84 19.55
21 15374 18.53 21.51 14607 17.60 20.43 13917 16.77 19.47
22 15313 18.45 21.42 14549 17.53 20.35 13861 16.70 19.39
23 15252 18.38 21.34 14490 17.46 20.27 13805 16.64 19.31
24 15191 18.31 21.25 14433 17.39 20.19 13750 16.57 19.24
25 15130 18.23 21.17 14375 17.32 20.11 13695 16.50 19.16
Average 15922 19.19 22.27 15128 18.23 21.16 14413 17.37 20.16
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A summary of the above assessment is given below for reference:
1. 1st Year of Operation:

 P75 Level
 DC CUF: 19.54%
 AC CUF: 22.68%
 P90 Level
 DC CUF: 18.62%
 AC CUF: 21.61%
2. Life time average

 P75 Level
 DC CUF: 18.23%
 AC CUF: 21.16%
 P90 Level
 DC CUF: 17.37%
 AC CUF: 20.16%
8. PROJECT TECHNICAL DESIGN
The major considerations which have been taken into account while planning layout of
various facilities in the plant are site coordinates, size and topography of land, approach
to the site, row to row distance, row to row shading of Modules, predominant wind
directions, water supply, tracking arrangement, selection of Modules, Inverters, Inverter
Transformers and other electrical equipments, optimization of cables, power
evacuation corridor, etc. The layout of the array structures shall be so designed that it
shall occupy minimum space without sacrificing the output of solar PV Modules.
8.1. Plant Layout

The Proposed Plant shall be based on Modules with Mono-crystalline Silicon solar PV
technology. The DC Power generated from the DC Field shall be converted into 380V,
50Hz AC, three phase using Solar Inverters and further stepped up to 33kV through
Inverter Transformers for ultimate evacuation to the Grid. An Indicative Layout for the
Complete Plant has been presented in Annexure II of this document.
8.1.1. DC Field Layout

The proposed 8 MW Solar PV Power plant will be a combination of Three (03) Blocks,
each consisting of four (04) Nos. 680kW Solar Inverters, two (02) Nos. three winding
Inverter Transformers and associated solar PV Arrays. Hence, there will be 12
independent solar PV arrays of equal capacity and each array will be connected to a
680kW Solar Inverter. Each array will be a series parallel
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combination of Modules to be arranged based on the capacity and output voltage of the
selected Module.
Module and String
Mono-crystalline Solar PV Modules type SPR-X21-345 of SunPower has been

envisaged for this Project. Thirteen (13) Modules will be clubbed together to form a
string. There shall be around 176 Nos. of strings clubbed together with each Solar
Inverter to generate the nominal power of 789 kWp at STC. A total of 2112 strings
(from 27456 Nos. of Solar PV Modules) are planned for this solar PV Project which
shall be distributed throughout the plant. The Modules shall be mounted on fixed tilt
inclined towards the Equator.
String Monitoring Boxes /Combiner Box
Since the total output current of all the strings combined shall be very high, these
strings will be divided into several sub groups and connected to String Monitoring
Boxes (SMB)/ Combiner Boxes and the String Monitoring Boxes / Combiner Boxes will
be connected to the Inverter inputs. A summary of the DC Field layout is furnished in
Table 8.1 below.
TABLE 8.1: SUMMARY OF DC FIELD LAYOUT
Sr. No. Priority Parameters
1. Total Rated capacity of 9.5 MWp at STC

Solar PV Power Plant at
STC
2. Type of Module SPR-X21-345 of SunPower
3. Rated capacity of Module 345 Wp
4. Module Dimension 1558mm X 1046mm
5. No. of Modules 27456
6. Number of Modules in series in 13

a string
7. Total no of Strings 2112
8. Total no. of Inverter units 12 Nos. of 680 kW
8.1.2. AC Field Layout

There shall be a total of three (03) Nos. Inverter Stations with one Main Control
Building in this Plant. The 3Main Control Building shall house the 33kV Switchgear for
power evacuation.
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Inverter Stations
Each Inverter Station shall consist of four (s) Nos. of 680kW Inverters, 33kV Switchgear
& RMU, two winding, 10 kVA, 380/ 415V Auxiliary Transformers, LV Distribution
Boards, Inverter Transformer Protection Panels, UPS and Battery etc. there shall be six
nos. of three winding 1.4 MVA, 33kV/0.38-0.38kV Inverter Transformers outside each
Inverter Station. LT cables shall be provided to interconnect LV winding of Inverter
Transformers with the Solar Inverters. Ventilation system with air ducts for the Inverters
along with fire protection and detection system shall be provided at the Inverter Stations.
The Inverter Station shall be made of Pre-Engineered Building with proper thermal
insulation. The roof slope shall be kept at 1:15 with single sided slope.
Main Control Building
The Main Control Building shall consist of the 33 kV Switchgear Room, SCADA/
Control Room, Battery/ Auxiliary Room apart from One Administration Room, One
Staff Room & One Supervisor's Room, one Pantry along with Toilets, Stores etc. Air
conditioning shall be provided in the SCADA/ Control Room and Heat Ventilation
System shall be provided in the 33kV Switchgear Room, Auxiliary Room, Battery
Room and Toilets. The entire Building shall be provided with fire protection and
detection system.
The Control Building shall have RCC Plinth with RCC columns, brick walls and RCC
Roof. There shall also be an overhead water tank of 2000 Litres (mounted on separate
structures adjacent to the Building or on the roof of the Building), adequately sized
septic tank and required wash basins. The MV Switchgear Room shall be provided with
mechanical ventilation system having a minimum of 8 air changes during normal
condition and 30 air changes in the event of fire. The Exhaust Fans shall be hooked to
the Fire Detection System. Energy efficient Split ACs will be provided in Control
Room, SCADA Room, Supervisor's Room & Staff Room with a nominal operating
temperature of 23 deg C and shall comply with all ASHRAE standards. Internal
electrification with minimum illumination of 400 Lux shall be maintained in all Control
Rooms.
33kV Tariff Metering
The Plant shall be provided with one separate Tariff Metering Room having a Tariff
Metering Cubicle complete with the following equipment and accessories.
 Current Transformers
 Voltage Transformer
 Bus Post Insulators as required
 Tariff Meter
Locations of the Main Control Building and the Inverter Transformers shall be
optimized to reduce DC & AC cable losses. Details of the Inverter and Transformers
proposed to be used are given in Table 8.2 below.
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TABLE 8.2: INVERTERS AND TRANSFORMERS DETAILS
17. No. of Inverter Station 3
18. No. of Inverters in Inverter 4

Station
19. Type of Inverter Outdoor, three winding

Transformers
20. No. of Inverter Transformers 6
21. No. of Unit Auxiliary 6

Transformers
22. No. of Common Auxiliary 1 (Depending upon Plant Design)

Transformers
8.1.3. Plant Boundary and Roads

The plant boundary wall is provided with barbed wire fencing for safety. There shall be
no trespassing to the Power Plant area except the security personnel, technicians and
engineers on duty, permitted visitors and inspection team as and when required. The
plant Main Entrance Gate shall be 6.5m wide for vehicles along with 1.75m wide wicket
gate for pedestrians and visitors. The height of gate is kept equal to the height of the
boundary wall. While ashphalt road shall be provided from the Main Gate to the Main
Control Building, other Plant Interconnecting Roads connecting all the Inverter Stations,
Main Control Building, Pump House and 33kV Tariff Metering Room shall be 10T
Roller Compacted Roads with 150 mm gravel below. The Road width shall be 3.5 Mtrs
with 0.5 Mtrs shoulder.
8.1.4. Water Supply System

The plant shall be provided with proper water supply system for the purpose of
sanitation, drinking and Module cleaning. Provision of deep well inside the plant area
with necessary water treatment methods shall be adopted. Water storage tanks shall be
suitably made to meet the total water requirement of the plant. It is envisaged to provide
two (2) nos. above ground storage tanks of 10,000 Litres each with above ground high
quality HDPE pipeline grid throughout the Plant area for Module cleaning purpose.
8.2. Plant Electrical Design
8.2.1. Plant Single Line Diagram

The complete Power Plant shall comprise of three Blocks, each Block consisting of four
(04) Nos. of 680kW Solar Inverters, two (02) Nos. three winding Inverter Transformers
and associated solar PV Modules. The DC power generated by the PV Modules in each
block shall be converted into 380V, 3 phase, 50Hz, AC power through suitable numbers
of solar PV Inverters. The 380V AC output from Inverter terminals shall be further
stepped up to 33kV by Inverter Transformers
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located adjacent to the Inverter Room. An Indicative Electrical Single Line Diagram for
the Complete Plant has been presented in Annexure III of this document.
DC Single Line Diagram
Mono-crystalline Solar PV Modules SPR-X21-345 of SunPower has been envisaged for

this Project. Thirteen (13) Modules will be clubbed together in series to form a string.
Several strings shall be connected to each String Monitoring Box (SMB)/ Combiner Box
in parallel. At the SMB end, each string shall be provided with DC fuse. Monitoring
shall be done at string level. The basic function of the String Monitoring Boxes (SMB)/
Combiner Box shall be to combine group of parallel connected Module strings and
connect the same to the Inverter Individual input terminal.
All the individual input terminals of Inverter shall have disconnection facility. Solar
grade DC cables shall be provided for interconnection between Modules and the SMB/
Combiner Boxes.
DC Side Protection
The Solar Modules are made of Semiconductor material which will in turn act as a
Diode. These are connected in series to make the desired system voltage. The following
protection equipments shall be provided for the Solar PV Module Strings at the String
Monitoring Boxes (SMB)/ Combiner Box end.
 Fuses for Short Circuit Protection.
 Surge Protection Device – To protect from Transfer Surges at the DC side.
AC Single Line Diagram
The Solar Inverter is the link between the PV Array DC system and the grid connected
AC system. Its basic task is to convert the DC electricity generated by the PV Modules
into AC by synchronizing itself to the frequency and voltage level of the Utility Grid.
The Inverter receives varying DC input power from the Module due to varying nature of
solar radiation and motion of Sun throughout the day & year, which is converted into
AC power by its highly efficient Power Electronics Circuit working based on Multi
MPPT mode and synchronizing to the Grid Frequency and Voltage. The output of the
Solar Inverter shall be 680kW, 380V, 50 Hz AC with ± 10 % voltage variation. Six (06)
Nos. three winding outdoor Inverter Transformers, each of rating 1.4 MVA, 33kV/0.380
0.380 kV are envisaged for the Plant. Two Nos. of 380kW Solar Inverters shall be
connected with one three Winding Inverter Transformer i.e. one Inverter per LV
winding. The Inverter Transformers will step up the Inverter output voltage of 380V,
50Hz AC to 33kV, 50Hz AC.
The power output of six Nos. Inverter Transformers i.e. total 8 MW approx. shall be
connected to the Main 33 kV Switchgear through 3 no. 33 kV RMUs and Cables. From
the 33 kV Switchgear, the generated power shall be evacuated to the Grid Substation.
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Auxiliary Power Supply
For Auxiliary System Power Supply, each inverter station shall consists of 10 kVA ,
380/415V Unit Auxiliary Transformers, each fed from the LV winding of the Inverter
Transformer and MCR shall consists of one (01) 40kVA, 33/0.415kV Common
Auxiliary Transformer fed from 33kV Busbar to meet the common auxiliary load
requirements, have been envisaged. The capacities of the Unit Auxiliary Transformer
and Common Auxiliary Transformer shall be finalized during detailed engineering based
on proper sizing calculation. The Common Auxiliary Transformer shall be connected
with 415V LV Distribution Board for further distribution of auxiliary power. In order to
ensure reliability in the Auxiliary Power Supply, a Ring Main Scheme shall be
considered.
AC Side Protection: Inverter Protection
The followings monitoring/ protection features shall be provided for each Solar Inverter.
 Over Voltage protection
 Grid Monitoring – Adjustable Voltage and Frequency range
 PV Generator connection – Insulation monitoring, polarity reversal protection.
 DC Filter.
 DC disconnect switch.
 AC side Insulation monitoring device
 Earth-fault protection.
8.2.1.1. AC SIDE PROTECTION: INVERTER TRANSFORMER PROTECTION
Each Inverter Transformer shall be protected through the VCB at the 33KV Local
Switchgear and Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) on the LV side. The following electrical and
mechanical protections for Inverter Transformers shall be provided:
 50 – Instantaneous Over Current Relay
 50N – Instantaneous Earth Fault Relay
 51 – IDMT over current relay
 51N – IDMT Earth Fault Relay
 49WT – Winding Temperature protection - Alarm / Trip
 49OT – Oil Temperature Protection - Alarm
 OL – Magnetic Oil Gauge (MOG) - Alarm
 63 – Buchholz Relay protection - Alarm / Trip
 PRV – Pressure Release Valve - Alarm / Trip
The above protections will trip the 33 kV VCB through the Master Trip Relay (86). In
addition, the VCB shall be provided with the following protections.
 95 - Trip Circuit supervision protection

 94 - Anti Pumping Relay
8.2.1.2. AC SIDE PROTECTION: 33KV SWITCHGEAR PROTECTION
The following electrical protections shall be provided at the 33 kV Switchgear end.
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 50 – Instantaneous Over Current Relay
 50N – Instantaneous Erath Fault Relay
 51 – IDMT Over current relay
 51N – IDMT Earth Fault Relay
 59N – Residual Voltage Protection for Earth Fault using the Open Delta PT.
The above protections will trip the 33 kV VCB through the Master Trip Relay (86). In
addition, the VCB shall be provided with the following protections.
 95 - Trip Circuit supervision protection
 94 - Anti Pumping Relay
8.2.1.3. AUXILIARY POWER SUPPLY PROTECTION
Moulded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs) will be provided for the Incomers/ Bus Ties of
the LV Auxiliary Switchboards for short circuit and over current protections. Outgoing
feeders shall be provided with Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB). The design concept of
the electrical system as a whole shall be based on the requirements for safe and reliable
operation of the Plant with provision for easy maintenance. The design and performance
requirements of equipment will be generally as per the latest Indian Standards and the
Codes of Practice, International standards like IEC. Indian Electricity Rules,
wherever applicable will also apply.
8.3. Codes and Standards
All equipments of the PV Power Plant shall conform to international standards including
IEEE Standard for design and installation of grid connected PV system. The standards
shall cover various aspects such as PV Modules, cable types and selection, temperature
considerations, voltage ratings, BOS wiring, Inverter wiring, bypass diodes, disconnect
devices, grounding requirements, surge and transient suppression, power qualities,
protection features and safety regulations. The following codes and standards shall be
followed as a minimum at the time of design & construction of the Solar PV Plant.
Table 8.3 presents the non-exhaustive list of standards related to solar PV power plan.
TABLE 8.3: LIST OF CODES & STANDARDS
Sr. No. Codes/Standards Details
Inverter Standards
1. EN 61000-6-1:2007 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Generic

standards. Immunity for residential, commercial
and light-industrial environments.

standards. Immunity for industrial environments.

standards. Emission standards for residential,
commercial and light-industrial environments.

standards. Emission standards for industrial
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environments.
5. IEC 62103/ IEC 62109-1 & 2 Electrical safety
6. EN 55022: 2006 Information technology equipment. Radio

disturbance characteristics. Limits and
methods of measurement.
7. EN 50178: 1997 Electronic equipment for use in power

installations.
8. IEC 61683: 1999 Photovoltaic systems – Power conditioners –

Procedure for measuring efficiency.
9. IEC 61727: 2004 Characteristics of the Utility Interface
10. IEC 62116: 2008 Testing procedure of Islanding Prevention

Methods for Utility-Interactive Photovoltaic
Inverters
11. UL 1741 or equivalent BIS Anti- Islanding Protection

Standard
Junction Box
12. IEC 61730 PV component standards
13. IEC 60664 Creepage distances and clearances
14. IEC 50548 Junction boxes
15. UL-1741 Combiner boxes
16. IEC 529 Degree of Protection provided by enclosures
17. UL-SU 6703 Fuses
18. EN 60715 Chromated DIN Rail
Switchboard Standard
19. Low Voltage AC Switchgear and Control

IS 13947 Gears Specifications
20. Low Voltage AC Switchgear and Control gear

IS 8623 assemblies
21. General requirements for AC Switchgear &

IS 4237 Controlgear for voltage not exceeding 1000V.
22. Degree of Protection for enclosures for low

IS 2147 voltage Switchgear and Controlgear.
23. IS 5082 Electrolytic Copper / Aluminium
24. IS 14697 AC Electric Meters
25. IS 3043 Earthing
26. IS 2551 Danger Notice Plates
27. IS 2516 Circuit Breakers, voltages up to 1000 Volts
28. Air Break Switches & Air Break Disconnectors for

IS 4064 voltages not exceeding 1000V AC.
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29. Marking & Arrangement for Switchgear, Bus

IS 375
Bars, main connections and auxiliary wiring.
AC Cables
30. XLPE insulated PVC sheathed cables for

IS 7098 working voltages up to and including 1100
volts.
31. IS 3961 Recommended current ratings for cables
32. IS 5831 PVC insulation and sheath
33. IS 8130 Conductors for insulated cables.
34. Mild steel wires, strips and tapes for

IS 3975 armouring of cables.
35. IS 1255 Installation and Maintenance of power cables
36. IS 7098 Cross-linked Polyethylene insulated, PVC

sheathed cables with working voltages from
3.3 KV up to & including 33 KV.
37. IS 3975 Mild steel wires, strips and tapes for

armouring of cables.
DC Cable
38. EN 50618 Electric cables for photovoltaic systems
39. IEC 60228, Class 5 Conductors of Insulated Cables
40. UL4703 Photovoltaic Wire
41. IEC 60332-1 Tests on electric and optical fiber cables

under fire conditions
42. IEC 61034 Measurement of smoke density of cables

burning under defined conditions
43. IEC 60287 Conductor temperature
44. IEC 60216 Temperature index and service life of over 20

years
45. IEC 60754-1 Test on gases evolved during combustion of

materials from cables
46. IEC 60811 Common test methods for insulating and

sheathing materials of electric cables and
optical cables
47. TUV specification 2 Pfg 1169/08.2007 Requirement of DC Cables from Module to

Combiner Box
RMU
48. IEC 62271-200 AC metal enclosed Switchgear and Controlgear

for rated voltage above 1 kV and up to and
including 52 kV.
49. IEC 60265-1 High Voltage Switches for rated voltage

above 1 kV and less than 52 kV.
50. IEC 62271-100 High Voltage Alternating Current Circuit
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Breakers.
51. IEC 62271-105 Alternating Current Switch-Fuse Combination
52. IEC 62271-102 Earthing Switch
53. IEC 60255 Electrical Relays
33 kV Switchgear
54. IS 2516 Circuit Breakers.
55. IS 2705 Current Transformers
56. IS 3156 Potential Transformers
57. IS 13118 HV Circuit Breakers
Transformer
58. IS 2026 Power Transformers
59. IEC 61378 -1 Converter Duty Transformers
60. IS 3639 Fittings and Accessories for Power

Transformers
61. IS 2099 Specification of HV Porcelain Bushing
62. IS 7421 Specification of LV Porcelain Bushing
63. IS 10028 Practice for selection, installation &

maintenance of Transformers
64. IS 335 New Insulating oils
65. IS 3637 Buchholz Relay
66. IS 5561 Specification for terminal connector
67. IS 6600 Specification for overloading of Transformers
68. IS: 2147 Marshalling Box
Outdoor Arrangement
69. IS 9921 Part I to V – Alternating Current

Disconnectors and Earthing Switches
70. IS 4237 General Requirement for Switchgear for

voltage not exceeding 1.1 kV.
71. IS 2147 Degree of protection provided by enclosure for

low-voltage Switchgear control gear.
72. IS 2544 Porcelain Post Insulator
73. CBIP Substation Manual Central Board of Irrigation and Power Manual on
Substation layout
74. IS 2629 Practice for Hot-Dip Galvanizing of Iron and

Steel
75. IS 6639 Hexagon Bolts for Steel Structures
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76. IS 2309 Practice for the Protection of Buildings and

allied structures against Lightning
77. IS 3043 Code of practice for Earthing
78. IEEE 80 Guide for Safety in Alternative Current

Substation Grounding
8.4. Solar PV Array
8.4.1. Module
Mono-crystalline Silicon based Solar PV technology has been selected for the 8 MW
AC/ 9.5 MWp DC Solar PV Power Project. The Solar Modules offered should be
constructed according to the international standards such as IEC, etc. In order to connect
the solar Module in series, interconnection cables shall be provided. Solar to electrical
conversion of PV Module shall be of the highest efficiency in the class. Modules shall
be made of Transparent Toughened Safety Glass front surface giving high encapsulation
gain and with edge sealant for Module protection and mechanical support. All materials
used shall have a proven history of reliable and stable operation in external applications.
PV Modules must qualify to table 8.4 standards.
Sr. No. Code/Standards Details
1. IEC 61215 Crystalline silicon terrestrial

photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design
qualification and type approval
2. IEC 61853 - Part 1 PV module performance testing and

energy rating

qualification – Part 1: Requirements for
2013-03 construction

qualification – Part 2: Requirements for
2004-10 Testing
5. IEC 62108 Concentrated (PV) modules - Design

qualification and type approval
6. IEC/TS 61836 Solar Photovoltaic Energy Systems -

Terms, Definitions and Symbols
7. IEC 62804 Potential Induced Degradation (PID)
8. IEC 60364-4-41 Protection against electric shock
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Sr. No. Code/Standards Details
9. IEC 60068-2-68 Environmental Testing - Part 2: Tests -

Test L: Dust and Sand
10. IEC 62716 Photovoltaic (PV) Modules - Ammonia

Corrosion Testing
11. IEC 62782 Dynamic Mechanical Load Testing for

Photovoltaic (PV) Modules
12. IEC 62759 Transportation Testing of Photovoltaic

(PV) Modules
13. IEC 61345 UV test for Photovoltaic (PV) modules
14. IEC 61701 Resistance to salt mist and corrosion
15. IEC 60904 Photovoltaic devices
16. EN 50380 Datasheet and nameplate information for

photovoltaic Modules
17. Conformité Européenne (EC The certified product conforms to the EU

health, safety and Environmental
requirements.
18. UL 1703 Comply with the National Electric Code
(NEC), OSHA and the
19. NFPA National Fire Prevention Association. The

Modules perform to at least 90% of the
Manufacturer’s nominal power.
8.4.2. String Monitoring Boxes (SMB)/Combiner Box

The basic function of the String Monitoring Boxes (SMB)/ Combiner Box is to combine
group of parallel connected Module strings and connect the same to the Inverter
Individual input terminal. The SMB/ Combiner Box shall be dust, vermin and
waterproof and made of metal or thermoplastic. This will have suitable cable entry
points fitted with cable glands of appropriate sizes for both incoming and outgoing
cables. Degree of protection of each outdoor String Monitoring Box shall be IP 65. Each
SMB/ Combiner Box and shall be complete with the following features:
 1000 Vdc fusible/ non-fusible DC Disconnector
 DC fuses in all strings with current sensing device.
 Surge Protection Device
 String Monitoring System
 Wired Communication System
The following parameters shall be monitored in the SMB/ Combiner Box:
 Individual String current

 Voltage of strings
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 Power generated by each string
 Status of fuses of each string
 Self check up on Power ON
8.5. Inverter and Control

Grid interconnection of PV systems is accomplished through the Inverter which converts
DC power generated from PV Modules to high quality AC power for interconnection to
the Utility System at reasonable cost. To meet 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 achieved.
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. This 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 whether the insolation level is above a predetermined value and whether the grid
supply is within the preset limits in voltage and frequency. Under favourable conditions,
the Inverter synchronises with the Grid and starts exporting the available energy. The
control unit will automatically disconnect from the grid if the grid voltage or frequency
goes beyond the operating range. 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 the energy generated
by the PV arrays.
FIGURE 8.1: GRID TIED POWER CONDITIONING UNIT
The controller will have the 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
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 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
8.5.1. Cooling
For cooling the Solar Inverter, air shall be taken in through the ventilation openings at
the bottom of the front doors and the hot air shall be blown out via the fans mounted in
the roof of the Inverter. Ventilation ducts shall be installed in order to prevent
unnecessary heating of the Inverter Room and maintain the ambient temperature within
the permissible limits inside the room. Filters shall be provided at cooling air intake to
ensure dust free supply of air.
8.5.2. Islanding
The condition of a Distributed Generation 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 operator’s 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 consumer’s installation.
The situation may cause an electrical shock hazard to service personnel operating on the
islanded network section while it has been supposedly shut down. Islanding can be
dangerous to Utility workers, who may not realize that the utility is still powered even
though there is no power from the Grid. For that reason, Distributed Generators must
detect Islanding and immediately stop producing power. Inverter shall be provided with
Islanding protection to isolate it from the grid in case of no-supply, under voltage & over
voltage condition to ensure safety. 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.
8.6. Inverter Transformer

Six (06) Nos. of 33/0.380-0.380kV, three winding, 1.4 MVA Transformers shall be
suitably located in the layout to step up the Inverter Output AC voltage to 33kV level.
Output of two (02) Nos., 380V, 3ph, 50Hz Inverters shall be fed to the LV side of
each two winding Inverter Transformer. The interconnection between Inverter to
Inverter Transformers shall be through Cables. The Transformers shall conform to IS
2026 and IEC 60076. All Inverter Transformers shall be oil immersed type and located
adjacent to the Inverter Room. HV side of these Transformers shall be connected to the
33kV Local Switchgear/ RMUs.
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8.7. Common Auxiliary Transformer and Unit
Auxiliary Transformer
One number Common Auxiliary Transformer may be provided adjacent to the Main
Control Building to cater to the common auxiliary loads and 3 nos. Unit Auxiliary
Transformer shall be provided in the Inverter Stations to cater to the Unit loads. The
voltage ratings of the Common Auxiliary Transformer and Unit Auxiliary Transformer
shall be 33/0.415 kV and 380/0.415kV respectively at 50 Hz. The indicative capacity of
the Common Auxiliary Transformer and Unit Auxiliary Transformer shall be 40 kVA
and 10 kVA respectively although the actual rating will be finalized during detail
engineering based on the detailed calculation and actual loads.
TABLE 8.4: TECHNICAL PARTICULARS OF AUXILIARY TRANSFORMER
1. Service Indoor
2. Type Dry Type/Oil Type
3. Quantity 10 kVA Unit Auxiliary

Transformers: 3 Nos.
40 kVA Common Auxiliary
Transformer 1 No.
4. Rated Capacity As per requirement
5. Rated Voltage Ratio Unit Auxiliary Transformers:

0.380/0.415kV
Common Auxiliary Transformer:
33/0.415 kV
6. No. of Phases 3
7. Rated frequency 50 Hz
8. Type of Cooling AN/ONAN
9. Type of Taps provided Off circuit tap changer, full

capacity
8.8. 33kV Switchgear

One 33kV Metal Clad Switchgear shall be located inside the Main Control Building
with individual feeders connecting to the local 33 kV Switchgear/ Ring Main Circuit.
The 33kV Switchgear will be provided with positive safety electrical interlocking and
bus bar / Feeder earthing facilities for operational and personnel safety. The Technical
Particulars of the 33 kV switchgear shall be as given in the Table 8.4 below.
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TABLE 8.5: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF 33KV SWITCHGEAR
1. Type Metal Clad , horizontal draw out
2. Service Indoor
3. Quantity As required
4. Enclosure IP-4X
5. VT and Relay Compartments IP-52
6. Voltage 33000 V
7. Phase 3
8. Frequency 50 Hz
9. Interrupting/peak withstand 25kA rms
10. Rated short circuit current for 1 sec. 25 kA

duration
8.8.1. Energy Metering
Dedicated CT and PT shall be provided for Tariff metering inside the Tariff Metering
Panel. Accuracy class of CT and PT shall be 0.2s and 0.2 respectively. Tariff Metering
Panel shall be located separately adjacent to the Main Control Building within a Tariff
Metering Room as per the existing practice followed by the utility.
8.9. 33kV Local Switchgear/ Indoor Ring Main Unit

Four way 33 kV Ring Main Units have been envisaged for interconnection between
Inverter Transformers and 33 kV Switchgear in the Main Control Room. The 33 kV
output of the Inverter Transformers shall be first connected through Ring Main Units
(RMU) before being routed to the 33 kV Switchgear inside the Main Control Room. 33
kV RMUs shall consist of two incomers and two outgoing feeders interconnected
through 630A AL Busbar. Incomer side shall be provided with 33kV VCB and 33kV
current transformer for protection and metering while the outgoing feeders shall be
provided with 33kV, 3phase Load Break Switches. While one outgoing feeder shall be
connected to the adjacent block of 33 kV RMU, the other outgoing feeder shall be
connected to the 33 kV Switchgear located in Main Control Room through 33 kV AL
XLPE cable. The ratings of cable shall be finalized based on the sizing calculation
during detailed design. All Ring Main Units shall be compliant to the most recent
standards (and latest amendments, if any) developed by the IS & IEC. Regulations
applicable in the area where equipment is to be installed shall be followed.
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8.10. 415V LV Switchboards
The 415V, 3 phase, 4 wire power for the 415V auxiliaries would be obtained from
the individual 0.380/0.415 kV Unit Auxiliary Transformers as well as from the 33/0.415
kV Common Auxiliary Transformer. The system will be a solidly earthed system. The
415V switchgear would be of metal enclosed design with a symmetrical short circuit
rating of 50 kA for 1 sec. All Power Control Centres will be compartmentalized and will
be of single/ double front execution. They will be of fully draw-out design with all
circuit components mounted on a withdrawable sheet metal chassis. The circuit breakers
would be of air break type. The LV switchboards shall be housed in the Main Control
Building as well as in each Inverter Room. Table 8.5 presents the technical particulars of
LV Switch Board.
TABLE 8.6: TECHNICAL PARTICULARS OF LV SWITCHBOARD
1. Type Metal Enclosed, horizontal

drawout
2. Service Indoor
3. Quantity As required
4. Enclosure IP-4X
5. Voltage 415 V
6. Phase 3
7. Frequency 50 Hz
8. Interrupting/peak withstand 50/125 kA (rms/peak)
9. Rated short circuit current for 1 sec. 50 kA

duration
8.11. Plant DC System

To supply power to various unit/ loads, the following DC Systems have been envisaged
for the proposed plant. The Battery and Battery Charger System shall comprise 220V
Battery and Float & Float cum Boost Charger for the Main Control Building. The
Battery & Charger shall cater to all the DC loads of the Plant which mainly comprise of
DC lighting load, Control & Protection Supply for the Switchgear etc.
8.11.1. Battery
The Battery shall be of high discharge performance Tubular Lead Acid storage type. The
plates shall be designed for maximum durability during all service conditions including
high rate of discharge & rapid fluctuation of load. For the purpose of design, an ambient
temperature of 55°C and relative humidity of 100% shall be considered.
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8.11.2. Battery Charger
Battery Charger will be Float & Float cum Boost Charger of suitable capacity for quick
boost and trickle charging as well as supplying the DC loads. The Battery Chargers will
have silicon controlled rectifier, completely automatic and of self- regulating type. The
Float Charger will be capable of floating the Battery and at the same time supply the
continuous DC load. The Boost Charger will be capable of charging the fully discharged
Battery to full charged condition.
TABLE 8.7: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF DC SYSTEM
1. Voltage 220 V
2. Type of Battery Tubular Lead Acid
3. Quantity of Battery One Battery Bank in Main Control

Building
4. Minimum emergency period 60 minutes
5. Type of Battery Charger Float cum Boost
6. Quantity of Battery Charger One Battery & Charger in Main

Control Building
8.11.3. DC Distribution Board (DCDB)
Each DCDB will receive power from its respective DC Battery/ Battery Charger. DCDB
Incomers will be provided with positive mechanical interlocking facility to ensure that
different power supply sources will not operate in parallel to avoid fault level exceeding
their designated capability. Each DCDB will be of indoor, single front and non draw-out
type. These will be sheet metal enclosed, assembled to form a rigid, free-standing floor
mounted structure. Vertical units will be assembled to form a continuous line up of
panels. Compartmentalized multi-tier configuration will be provided. The degree of
protection will be IP4X. The DCDB will have short circuit ratings consistent with the
available short circuit current.
8.12. Cables and Accessories

Solar farms are exposed to varying atmospheres throughout its life cycle. The cables will
be exposed to ultra violet radiations which would reduce the cable life span. Therefore,
cables with Ultra Violet protection have to be used. Additionally, the cables should be
flame, oil & Ozone resistant halogen free complying with DIN standards. Cables shall
be sized based on considerations like rated current of the equipment, voltage drop under
full load condition, short circuit withstand capability, de-rating factors for various
conditions of laying etc. The size of the cables for Module/ Array interconnections,
Array to SMBs and SMBs to PCU etc interconnection shall be selected to keep the
voltage drop and losses to a minimum. The suggested cable for the PV area is the bright-
annealed 99.97% pure copper conductor which offers low conductor resistance
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and lower heating thereby increasing the cable life and making savings in power
consumption. Tables 8.7 and 8.8 below present the technical specifications of the cables
in solar PV area as well as the Power/ Control Cables respectively.
TABLE 8.8: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF SOLAR CABLES
1. Working voltage Up to 1100V
2. Temperature range -15°C to +80°C
3. Specification IS 694:1990 or equivalent
4. Approvals FIA/AC/ISI
5. Sizes Suitable size (4/ 6/ 10 sq.mm)
6. Working voltage Up to 1100V
TABLE 8.9: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF POWER AND CONTROL CABLES
HV Power Cables
1. Voltage Grade 33 kV
2. Conductor Stranded aluminium circular or

compared circular shaped.
3. Conductor Screen Extruded semi-conducting

compound
4. Insulation Extruded cross linked polyethylene

(XLPE)
5. Insulation Screen Extruded semi-conducting

compound with a layer of
non-magnetic metallic tape
6. Inner Sheath Extruded PVC compound conforming

to type ST2 of IS: 5831 for three core
cables. Single core cables shall have
no inner sheath. Filler material shall
also be of type ST2 PVC.
7. Armour GI strip armoured as per Table -

4(method a) of IS 7098
8. Overall Sheath Extruded FRLS PVC compound

conforming to type ST2 of IS:
5831.
LV Power Cables
1. Voltage Grade 1100 V
2. Conductor Stranded and compacted plain

aluminium of grade H2 and class 2
/ stranded, high conductivity
annealed plain copper, generally
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conforming to IS: 8130.
3. Insulation Cross linked polyethylene (XLPE)
4. Inner Sheath Extruded PVC compound conforming

to type ST2 of IS: 5831 for multi-core
cable. Single core cables shall have no
inner sheath.
5. Armour as per Table -4(method a) of IS

7098
6. Overall Sheath Extruded FRLS PVC compound

conforming to type ST2 of IS:
5831.
Control Cables
1. Voltage Grade 1100 V
2. Conductor Heavy Duty, stranded copper

conductor
3. Insulation PVC
4. Armour Galvanized steel wire / strip

armored
5. Overall Sheath Extruded FRLS PVC of type ST1

outer sheathed
8.13. Lightning and Over Voltage Protection
The PV Power plant shall be provided with Lightning and Over Voltage protection
connected to proper earth mats. The main aim of the 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 disturbances. The
Lightning Conductors shall be made as per applicable Indian or International Standards
in order to protect the entire Plant from Lightning strokes. 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.
8.14. Earthing System

Each Array Structure of the Solar PV area as well as the 33 kV AC System 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 conductor
shall run through appropriate pipes partly buried and partly on the surface of the Control
Buildings/ Inverter Stations. The complete earthing system shall be mechanically &
electrically connected to provide independent
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return to earth. All electrical outdoor equipment structures will be grounded through the
proper grounding conductor. All Transformer neutrals and Lightning Arrester shall be
connected to the main grid through earth pits as per Indian/ International standards.
8.15. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

(SCADA) System
Status individual feeders/ VCB of the 33 kV Main Switchgear along with the local 33
kV Switchgear/ RMU shall be communicated to the Plant SCADA. Suitable interfacing
arrangement at local/ field level shall be provided to enable communication with Plant
SCADA. The complete PV Power Plant will be monitored and controlled through the
SCADA system. This will enable monitoring the status of Inverters to gather
information on energy generation. Periodic reports of the plant’s performance will be
provided by the monitoring system. A suitable display system shall also be installed
suitably in the plant to access live data on the performance of the solar system. Remote
data access will be provided through secured gateway connectivity. Annexure 4 presents
the preliminary list of Solar Plant SCADA I/O.
8.16. Automatic Weather Station (AWS)
Automatic Weather Station (AWS) is required at the plant site in order to measure
climatic parameters and Global Solar Radiation periodically. The realistic climatic
parameters are required for performance testing of the proposed solar PV Power Plant.
The Weather Monitoring Station shall consist of
1 Kipp & Zonnen CMP11 pyranometers on horizontal plane. The sampling frequency of
AWS shall be 10 secs time interval with averaging at 5 minutes recording time. The
Weather Station along with data loggers shall be located at strategic point and shall be
capable of collecting the data points, sample frequency along with SCADA interface.
The Weather Station shall have capability of recording and storing environmental data
without AC power for two
(3) days. In addition, 1 No. Pyranometer shall be provided at the designed tilt and
located within the Plant premises at selected location.
The Automatic Weather Station (AWS) shall be provided with the following features:
 Measurement of Global, Horizontal & Background Irradiance.

 Measurement of Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Ambient Temperature and
Relative Humidity.
 Measurement of Cell Temperature.
 Facility for Data Logging.
 The Transmitter and Data Logger must have certification from IMD for
functional operation through INSAT / Kalpana satellites.
 Supports TCP/IP, DHCP configurations
 Supports Serial (RS-232/485, MODBUS) and Analogue (0-1V, 0-5V, 4- 20mA)
output
 Modular and easily customized
 In-Built Memory for storing data for at least 12 months period.
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 Graphical Display Software
The following points should be taken into account for the components of the AWS:
 Each component should have a detailed instruction manual.
 Each component should be highly durable.
 Each component should be easily maintainable.
 Standard devices and interfaces that are adaptable to technological progress
should be used.
8.17. Civil Works, Site development & construction

facilities
Civil works of the Project have to be carried out keeping in consideration the extreme
conditions at the site. The sub soil conditions at site are to be taken care during design
as well as during construction. The natural drainage conditions are to be maintained to
the maximum extent so as to avoid flooding of site during rainy seasons and minimise
the cost of land grading & levelling operations. Good quality controls have to be
maintained at site during construction. Site may require filling at some patches to
elevate the FGL depending upon the actual site condition.
8.18. Power and Water Requirements
Power for construction activities at site can be arranged with the help of DG set during
construction period of the plant. Water for the construction activities as well as potable
water at site can be taken from tankers/ bore wells. Further distribution arrangement can
be established during construction period of the plant
8.19. Fire Fighting

The Fire Fighting system design shall conform to TAC/NFPA norms. The types of fire
protection systems for the complete plant shall cover Portable Fire extinguishers and
Wheel/Trolley mounted fire Extinguishers. Adequate number of portable fire
extinguishers of Dry Chemical Powder and Carbon Dioxide type shall be provided at
suitable locations in different buildings. Wheel/ Trolley mounted Mechanical Foam type
Fire Extinguishers, conforming to IS: 13386 are proposed to be provided for protection
of Inverter Transformers. The design, construction & testing of Fire Extinguishers shall
meet the requirements of relevant IS Codes.
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8.20. Ventilation and Air-Conditioning System
8.20.1. Air Conditioning System

Air Conditioning System for the SCADA/ Control Room inside the Main Control
Building shall be provided with Package/Split type Air conditioners. The cooling load
shall be calculated for the summer, monsoon and winter seasons for selection of the
equipment accordingly. Air conditioned area shall be maintained at 24oC  1oC and
relative humidity of 50 %  5%.
The indoor quality of air conditioned areas served by air conditioning units shall be as
per ASHRAE Standard 62. Sufficient allowances for possible equipment heat loads shall
be kept and adequacy of system sizing shall be finalised through calculations. The
occupancy shall be considered as per ASHRAE Standards.
For proper ventilation of the air conditioned area, fresh air intake of 1.5 air changes per
hour or 0.57 m3/min of fresh air/person, whichever is higher shall be adopted. A
minimum design margin of 15% is to be considered while selecting the AC equipment
capacity for each area. All the equipment shall be designed for continuous duty.
8.20.2. Ventilation System

Provision of Heat Ventilation System shall include but not be limited to the following
areas.
 Switchgear Room
 Inverter Room
 Toilets, etc.
A minimum design margin of 10% is to be considered while designing the capacity of

supply air fans and exhaust air fans etc. A design margin of 10% is to be considered in
the capacity of motors for the above fans.
The design of the proposed PV plant in Greater Noida shall comply with all the
technical requirement of the Case-II Competitive Bidding Guidelines of
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
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9. CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGN, BUILT,
OWN AND OPERATE (BOO) MODEL
FIGURE 9.1: BLOCK DIAGRAM SHOWING BOO MODEL
BOO is a form of Project financing, wherein an entity receives concession to finance,

design, construct, and operate a facility stated in the contract. This enables the Project
Developer to recover its investment, operating and maintenance expenses in the Project.
In a BOO Project, ownership of the Project remains with the Project Developer.
Therefore, the Project Developer gets the benefits of any residual value of the Project.
This framework is used when the physical life of the Project coincides with the
concession period.
The Build-Own-Operate model is one of the models for development of solar PV based
power generating plant. In the BOOT model, the Project Developer builds, owns,
operates and transfer power plant after expiry of concession period. In BOO model, the
Project Developer does not transfer the PV systems to the NPCL. The Project Developer
shall operate and supply the power to the NPCL.
The Project developer shall construct the solar power plant; therefore NPCL do not bear
the capital cost. Operation and maintenance will be the responsibility of the Project
Developer without any risk to NPCL The NPCL will pay for the generated energy as per
PPA. Figure 9.1 shows the block diagram of BOO model.
For the proposed solar PV project in Greater Noida, UP, project developer shall adopt
the Design, Built, Own and Operate (BOO) model (as described in the this section).
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10. PROJECT REGISTRATION AND
CLEARANCES
The Government of India and the State Governments at the local level, have established
legal, policy guidelines and regulatory frameworks for setting up of Non-Conventional
Energy based power Projects. Accordingly, certain clearances and approvals are
required to be obtained from different Government Bodies and Statutory Agencies at
various stages of development of the Project as well as during the operation phase.
These clearances are generally classified into two broad categories known as Statutory
and Non- Statutory Clearances. Statutory Clearances applicable for solar PV power
Project mainly comprise Consent to Establish & Consent to Operate from the State
Pollution Control Board (SPCB), Forest Clearances from the State Forest Department
and MOEF, if applicable, Company Registration through Registrar of Companies etc.
The major Non-Statutory Clearances for Solar PV Projects are Clearance for National
Monuments from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)/ Government of India etc. In
addition, sanction of Construction Power from the Office of the Chief Engineer of the
respective State, permission to use Ground Water and permission from Central Ground
Water Board, Ministry of Water Resources are the other clearances which might be
required. The permits, approvals and clearances required to be taken at different stages
of implementation of the 8 MWAC Solar PV Project have been presented in Table 10.1
below.
TABLE 10.1: APPROVALS & CLEARANCES REQUIRED FOR THE SOLAR PV PROJECT
Sr. No. List of Contents Authority Approval Stage /

Remark
1. Power Purchase Agreement - Shall be signed

between NPCL and
Project developer
2. Deeds of land/lease - Land owned by

agreement NPCL
3. Registration & Establishment Chief Inspector of Prior to Construction

(Factory License) Factories of State
Govt
4. Consent to Establish State Pollution Prior to Construction

Control Board.
5. Consent to Operate. State Pollution Prior to

Control Board. Commissioning
6. No objection from Local - Private land

Panchayats
7. License under Section-12 of Labour Department Prior to Construction

CLRA State Govt.
8. Permission of Bore well for Sub-District Prior to Construction

Construction Water Administration
Requirement
9. Power Evacuation - Shall be signed

between NPCL and
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Project developer
10. Approval from the Electrical Electrical Inspectorate Post Commissioning

Inspectorate for synchronization of State Govt
of the Project
11. Plant Commissioning - Shall be provided by

Certificates NPCL to Project
developer after
Commissioning
13. PLANT CONSTRUCTION &

IMPLEMENTATION
An implementation schedule, outlining the sequence of major activities and the time
required for engineering, construction, installation and commissioning of the 8MWAC
solar PV Power Plant is shown in the form of a bar chart in Annexure
5. The estimated construction period has been considered as 5 months from the signing
of PPA. The schedule has been prepared on the premise that necessary steps for the
following activities has been taken prior to the date of NTP.
 Steps for arrangement of finance
 Preliminary interaction with NPCL on grid interface provisions
 Establishment of a Project Execution Team
13.1. Application/ clearance

The sale of electricity shall be governed by a Long Term PPA for 25 years of Project
life, which shall be executed to sell the generated power with suitable terms and
conditions. The Power Purchase Agreement shall be executed between NPCL and the
Developer.
13.2. Other Permitting and Clearances

Since solar PV Power Plant is not a scheduled “Project or Activity” as per EIA Act
2006, prior Environmental Clearance is not required from the Ministry of Environment
& Forest. A “no objection certificate” or “Consent To Establish (CTO)” from State
Pollution Control Board (SPCB) is required before making the plant operational.
Moreover, an “NOC” from Local Administrative Body needs to be obtained before
construction of the plant. These procedures are scheduled to be completed in the first
two months.
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13.3. Design & Engineering
Engineering design of the complete PV Power Plant including cable types and selection,
temperature considerations, voltage ratings, Balance of System wiring, Inverter wiring,
disconnect devices, grounding requirements, protection features and safety regulations,
Grid Interface, civil infrastructure including the Inverter Stations, Control Building,
equipment foundations etc. shall be started immediately after signing of the PPA..
13.4. Infrastructure and Site Development

Site development involves soil investigation, site survey, site levelling, construction of
roads, pathways, fencing, drainage, sewerage etc. Topographical survey shall be carried
out for the proposed site at suitable intervals by Plain Table or any other suitable
standard method of survey. Based on the above survey work, a general layout drawing
with clear demarcation showing boundary pillars, location of Control Building, DC
Field, approach road and general drainage etc. shall be prepared. The major civil work
involves solar PV Array foundations, Inverter Transformers and Inverter pedestals and
associated equipment foundations. Minor works involve construction of security kiosks,
underground water reservoir, overhead water tank, pathways and drainage. Water for
construction can be obtained from bore wells or water tankers. To ascertain soil
parameters of the proposed site for construction of Control Building, DC Fields,
Transformer Foundations, Inverter Stations etc, soil investigation has to be carried out.
The scope of soil investigation should cover execution of complete soil exploration
including boring, drilling, collection of undisturbed soil sample wherever possible,
otherwise conducting laboratory test of disturbed soil samples to find out the various
parameters mainly related to load bearing capacity, ground water level, settlement and
sub soil condition and submission of detailed Reports with recommendation regarding
suitable type of foundation for each bore hole and soil improvement wherever necessary.
13.5. Civil and Structural Works

The schedule of civil and structural work shall be planned keeping in view the receipt of
data for civil and structural work and the schedule for delivery of equipment. Certified
load data should be made available by the equipment suppliers after placement of order.
The entire construction work is planned to start from the 2nd Month after the date of NTP
and completed in the 4th month thereafter. Formation of permanent pathways and
parking yard is taken up as last activity which may be done in the 5 th month from the
date of start of the Project. Requirement of cement, sand, aggregate, reinforcement steel
etc. required for the buildings and other foundations will be supplied to site by
contracting agencies.
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The design and construction of Inverter Stations shall be completed after placement of
order and receipt of certified data from the Supplier. Mass production facilities for the
block foundations can be developed at a central location and cured blocks can be
transported to site thus saving considerable volume of transportation and storage of
cement, aggregate, steel, water, etc to all over the site area. Cement, reinforcement steel
and structural steel could be procured and issued to the construction agencies. A broad
list of work involved in the civil package given below:
 Stabilization of land
 MMS Foundation
 Transformer pedestals
 Inverter Stations
 Main Control Room
 Fire Fighting System
 Cable trenches/ Cable trays and Cable racks
 Drainage
 Water storage tank
 Security kiosks
 Vehicle parking area
 Plumbing and sewerage lines including septic tank
13.6. Selection and Procurement of Equipments
The major equipment involved in this Project covers the two packages viz. “solar PV
system” including array mounting structure, cables, connectors, Inverters and controls
and “Balance of System” including Transformers, HT Switchgear, Grid Interface and
Control equipments. These equipments shall be procured from different vendors based
on market availability and vendor’s interests/ activity/expertise.
13.6.1. Solar PV System

The scope of work covers manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning
8 MWAC capacity solar PV Power Plant as per design including supply of all materials
like PV Modules, Inverters, mounting structure and fixing accessories, BOS wiring,
grounding requirements, protection and safety devices, installation of all equipments &
testing and commissioning of the Power Plant. The PV Modules and Inverter
Manufacturer/ Supplier do not usually supply other BOS for PV system. After
finalisation of PV Modules and Inverter Suppliers/ Manufacturers, orders for other BoS
shall be placed based on the requirement of Modules and Inverters. The construction
schedule is based on the tentative delivery period of solar PV Modules and supporting
structures at site between 3 to 4 months from the date of placement of order.
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13.7. Electrical System
The scope of Electrical System covers design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing
and commissioning of all other electrical items such as ACDB, Inverter & Auxiliary
Transformers, HT Switchgear complete with SCADA, inter connecting power and
control cabling, cable accessories, earthing, lightning protection, lighting and
communication facilities. Supply of electrical equipments and Inverter Transformers
usually take 2-3 month time for delivery and installation.
13.8. Erection of Equipments

Erection of solar PV Modules and arrays shall be started immediately on receipt of first
lot of panels at site and should be progressively done by the 3 rd month from the date of
placement of order..
13.9. Testing and Commissioning

After completion of 33 kV grid interface facilities, the Power Plant shall be ready for
commissioning. All erections and installations shall be completed by the 4 th month from
the start of the Project and the complete plant capacity i.e. 8 MW AC can be synchronized
and commissioned on the scheduled date.
13.10. Plant Operation and Maintenance

This section of the report outlines the Operation and Maintenance philosophy that will
be adopted for the proposed grid connected Solar PV power plant. The broad outlines
given here will be useful guidelines for the Basic and Detailed engineering of the plant,
so that most of the requirements of the Operation and Maintenance of the plant are
fulfilled and to be provided at the engineering stage itself.
13.10.1. System Design Suited for O&M

The main objective of Operation and Maintenance is to maintain high availability and
reliability of the plant, To achieve the same following principles are to be adopted.
 Building up adequate capacity to ensure generation of power as per design

estimates. This is done by applying liberal de-rating factors for the array and
recognizing the efficiency parameters of PCUs, Transformers, Transmission lines,
etc.
 Providing redundancy to ensure at least 50% availability in case of major
breakdowns of Transformers
 Use of equipment and systems with proven design and performance that have a high
availability track record under similar service conditions
 Selection of the equipment and adoption of a plant layout to ensure ease of
maintenance
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 Strict compliance with the approved and proven quality assurance norms and
procedures during the different phases of the Project
The Basic and Detailed engineering of the plant will aim at achieving high standards of
operational performance especially with respect to the following key parameters:
 Optimum availability of Modules during the day time

 Ensuring minimum shading impact
 High DC system voltage and low current handling requirements
 Selection of PCUs with high track record
 Selection of Transformers with low maintenance requirements
The plant instrumentation and control system should be designed to ensure high
availability and reliability of the plant to assist the operators in the safe and efficient
operation of the plant. It should also provide for the analysis of the historical data and
help in the plant maintenance people to take up the plant and equipment on preventive
maintenance.
13.10.2. Operational Requirement

The operation of the plant starts immediately after commissioning. In broad terms,
commissioning can be defined as setting up of the plant to work safely and reliably. It is
necessary to ensure that all equipment is completely erected before operations begin.
Although this may be considered difficult, but operating a plant with insufficient
instrumentation, controls, and alarms is very dangerous. Although some compromise
could be made in regard to plant completion, the commissioning procedures should
never be compromised in terms of personnel and system safety.
A proper checklist procedure should be drawn up which should include all the sections
of the plant and shall take into account the contractual responsibilities, Site Acceptance
Test (SAT), the technological relationship between the various sections, pre-
commissioning, cleaning requirements etc. The checklists procedure helps in the
following:
 To ensure that the necessary checks are carried out on each item of the plant
before it is put into commercial service
 To ensure that energy is supplied to equipment or a plant when it is safe to do so
 To facilitate the recording of the progress on the various commissioning
activities
 To provide a basis for the plant history
The operation of the grid connected plant is an activity that must be properly
coordinated, within the plant as well as within the designated sub-station to which the
plant feeds power. Operation in parallel with the grid eventually makes the Solar PV
power plant a part of the State utility system and hence the power plant should assume
some of the same responsibilities of State utility system. The State utility system local
dispatch centre will have to monitor the incoming power from the Solar PV power plant
on a continuous basis.
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While safety of the plant and personnel is the foremost importance in the operation, the
efficient operation of the plant cannot be ignored. While operating, it is important to
check the essential parameters of the plant and equipment to ensure that the plant
performance is at the optimum level. Any variations in the operating parameters or any
deviations from normal performance of the equipment or plant will have to be analysed
immediately to diagnose the problem and to take remedial measures to bring back the
plant and equipment to its original operating conditions.
The plant operator should follow the guidelines given below:
 Frequent checking and calibration of instruments;

 Cross checking the instrument indications with each other to determine
whether the instrument is faulty or there is an abnormal operating condition;
 Analyzing indicated data to determine accurately what could be wrong
13.10.3. Maintenance Requirements

The main objectives of the plant maintenance are to keep the plant running reliably and
efficiently as long as possible. Reliability is impaired when a plant undergoes forced and
unforeseen outages. This aspect assumes greater significance for a Solar PV power plant
exporting power to the State Electricity grid under contractual commitments. It is
imperative that any planned maintenance is undertaken with closer coordination with
State Electricity board substation.
Efficient operation implies close control not only over the cost of production but also
over the cost of maintenance. There are two components in maintenance cost: one is the
direct cost of maintenance, (i.e. the material and labour), and the other is the cost of
production loss.
The following steps will help in reducing the breakdown maintenance and also in
planning for preventive maintenance:
 Careful logging of operation data/historical information from the Data Monitoring

Systems, and periodically processing it to determine abnormal or slowly
deteriorating conditions.
 Walk down checks of the plant.
 Careful control and supervision of operating conditions.
 Regular scheduled maintenance work such as keeping equipment clean, cleaning
Solar PV Modules and delicate ingredients of Transformers and circuit breakers.
Cleanliness of Isolators also to be ensured.
 Regular Assessment of Water Quality
 It is extremely important that proper records are maintained not merely for the
maintenance work done but also of the material used and actual man hours spent,
etc. Some sort of a Record Card system shall have to be introduced to keep records
that are most useful in future planning of outages and providing for effective
control.
 Another important requirement of a good maintenance program is to ensure that
spares are ordered in time and good stocks of the frequently required spares are
maintained.
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Depending on the O&M requirements the Developer will make necessary arrangements
for proper implementation of O&M. This will be through direct presence of the
Developer’s staff or through their local technology partners. Typically, the plant will be
under the charge of an engineer supported by adequate staff for security and O&M.
13.10.4. O&M Schedule

Schedule Maintenance
The developer will provide a comprehensive O&M program for the Project. The O&M
team will operate the Solar PV Plant in accordance with an Operations and
Maintenance Agreement (the “O&M Agreement”) which will be executed prior to start
of the Operation of the Plant and shall provide the following minimum services:
 Performing Scheduled and Unscheduled Maintenance of the Solar facility during

and after the EPC warranty period;
 Operating the Solar PV Plant Facilities:
 Providing all materials and services necessary for Solar Plant
maintenance;
 Monitoring the operations of the Plant via the HMI (Human Machine
Interface) system;
 Performing all duties in compliance with the requirement of the PPA;
 Complying with all Regulatory Obligations;
 Developing Operation and Safety Plans;
Unlike conventional Power Plants, Solar photovoltaic systems are highly reliable and
require minimal maintenance. However, thoroughly planned maintenance technique
should help to increase plant availability. Expected performance is totally dependent on
the quality and capability of operation and maintenance philosophy being adopted.
Several maintenance activities need to be completed at regular intervals during the
lifetime of the Plant. In order to maintain a Solar PV plant highly reliable, there are
several requirements which are to be maintained as discussed below:
The energy generation of the plant is usually monitored using the remote data
acquisition system connected to each inverter. Significant reduction in energy yield will
trigger specific maintenance requirements such as inverter servicing or module
replacement. In addition to this, typical scheduled maintenance of any PV plant is
described below:
General maintenance: Vegetation will need to be cut back if it starts to cause a fire
risk or introduce shading.
Modules: Replacement of damaged Modules will be required through visual

inspection.
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Solar PV plants require cleaning during long dry spells to maintain maximum
efficiency. PV modules may be cleaned by wet or dry cleaning. If excessive soiling
is present, a non-conductive nylon or similar material brush, sponge, or other mild
agitating method may be adopted for module cleaning. Dry cleaning may be suitable
in dry regions with lower relative humidity. The project site lies far from the
seashore, thus less humidity is expected in the region. Considering the Soiling and
Relative Humidity, wet cleaning therefore shall be an appropriate option here.
Wet cleaning of the PV modules may be done either by pressurized water supplied
using a mobile tanker mounted pump or water supplied through a permanent piping
network laid across the length and breadth of the plant or section of the plant.
India being a tropical region, cleaning frequency may vary from once a month to as
high as once in 15 days. Frequency however may depend upon the soiling condition,
which will be measured through a device to be installed at site. With an average
cleaning of once in 2 weeks, the water storage and supply system can be optimized.
The ideal time for cleaning modules is during low light conditions when production
is lowest.
The water requirement for cleaning of Modules is an important aspect to be kept in
view. Given the regional experience Suzlon envisaged approximately 2 litres of
water/m2of PV module area.
In case of tanker mounted pump cleaning system a water tanker is made to move
within the plant or module mounting structures. Tankers can be parked on the
internal roads and modules can be cleaned using a flexible hose. This type of system
however gets the plant under a high risk of accidents, local pollution as aerosol that
may increase soiling on modules and increased maintenance of the internal roads. It
is therefore recomended efficient water supply piping network in the entire plant as
compared to water supply by tanker.
Water storage system may be located centrally to each piping system to reduce
friction losses in the system, provided there shall be adequate ground water
availability to bore wells to cater the water requirement for module cleaning. GI or
HDPE pipe may be used for underground piping network. HDPE pipe may be
economical solution. HDPE pipe requires electro-fusion welding for jointing and
therefore requires skilled labours.
Quality of Water to be used for cleaning of the module shall be as per recommendation
of the Module Manufacturer. Module cleaning needs to be carried out periodically to
remove dust and other particles on the Module and enhance the energy generation.
Module support structure: Frequent visual inspection for general integrity of the
structure, corrosion, damage and fatigue. All frame connections should be checked for
deflections or tears at the Module and cross beams to assess the need for replacement.
Wiring and junction boxes: Visual inspection for corrosion, damage such as
chafing, and damage by rodents and birds, and for overheating of cables and
connections. This requires the skills of an electrical technician.
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Inverters: Inverter maintenance requires the skills of an electrical technician. It
involves: visual inspection of the fans, tightening leads and cleaning using a vacuum
cleaner or brush.
Safety Devices: Checking connections, functionality of isolators and circuit

breakers, and for signs of overheating.
Security System: Visual inspection for damage and breaches in the security fence
The maintenance functions of a typical solar PV Power Plant can be categorized as given
below:
Day to day maintenance checks

 Ensure security of the Power Plant
 Monitor power generation and export
 Monitor load centre wise power generation values to detect any abnormality
 Healthiness of Boundary Walls and loss of any material from site
Weekly maintenance checks

 Inspection of Tracking System
 PV Panel glass surface cleaning/ washing solar PV panels to remove dust (Bi-
Weekly) / dirt and bird droppings etc.
Monthly maintenance checks
 Removal of weeds and grass below PV Modules and pathways, if any
 Inspection of solar PV Modules and arrays for any damage
 Check the power terminals for corrosion and clean/ apply anti-oxidant jelly, if
necessary
Half yearly maintenance checks

 Check all the wiring for physical damage and for any sign of excessive
heating
 Check all the junction boxes for proper covering and sealing
 Check the fasteners of Solar PV panel mounting structure, tracking mechanism
and array for proper torque and tightening
Annual Maintenance Checks

 Check for discoloration of solar PV cells
 Check all the connections and ensure that they are not loose
 Verify the array output for Voc, Isc, Vmpp, & Impp for any sign of
deterioration
 Insulation characteristic checking for the Transformer oils
 Checking corrosion
 Performance Checking of the Plant
13.10.5. Breakdown Maintenance
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Breakdowns can occur due to lack of routine or preventive maintenance, bad climatic
conditions, disturbance in utility grid etc. As breakdowns affect energy generation and
hence revenue generation, these kinds of faults need to be immediately corrected.
Breakdowns can occur at any part of the system between Solar PV Modules to
substation end. Staff should take care of routine or preventive maintenance at those
parts of the system where chances of occurrence of breakdown are more.
13.11. Man Power Development and Training

A PV Power Plant does not require constant attention when in operation. Site Engineers
assisted by trained and skilled Technicians can monitor and look after its periodic
inspection and maintenance. The total estimated manpower required for the proposed
solar PV Power Plant facility covers one full time Plant Supervisor, 2 Plant Engineers, 3
- 4 Technicians and 5 - 7 Security Personnel who will be placed on shift. The Plant
Supervisor 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. The Site Engineers will be fully responsible for day-to-day
operation, maintenance and upkeep of the Power Plant. They will be assisted by Site
Technicians. Additional unskilled manpower will be required for scheduled cleaning and
other civil/ structural maintenance work which could be outsourced from external
agencies.
All heavy maintenance jobs and those of capital nature shall be contracted out. While
estimating 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. Table 11.1 below provides an
indicative manpower requirement for the proposed Power Plant.
TABLE 13.1: MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT FOR 8 MWAC SOLAR PV POWER PLANT
Sr. No. Description Persons Placement
1. Plant Supervisor 1 HQ/Site
2. Site Engineer 2 Site
3. Technicians 3 -4 Site
4. Security 5-7 Site
Total 11-14
Operating and maintaining a solar PV Power Plant requires certain degree of skills and
exposure to state of the art equipment and technology. In order to maintain a close knit
operation and safe maintenance team, it is required to have a fine tuned strategy for
recruitment and training in consultation with the OEM. It will be necessary for the
operating and maintenance personnel to have requisite qualifications, experience and
skill. Necessary arrangements have to be made for pre-installation and pre-operation
training for the Site Engineers and Maintenance Technicians by experienced personnel.
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13.12. Operation and Maintenance Spares
In order to ensure smooth functioning and maintain the redundancy (and Plant
Availability) of the solar PV Power Project, O&M Spares, especially solar PV Modules,
Inverters, Junction Boxes as well as cables, fuses, Disconnectors etc. are to be
maintained in the plant. There is no standard practice for quantification of the associated
spare parts for large scale grid connected solar PV Projects; but could be assessed in
consultation with the Suppliers of the respective items.
14. BILL OF QUANTITY

An indicative Bill of Quantity (BOQ) for the 8 MWAC solar PV Power Project based on
Mono-Crystalline technology has been determined through the simulation exercise
performed for Energy Yield Estimation using PVSyst (attached in Annexure-I),
Indicative Layout (attached in Annexure-II) and Overall Key SLD (attached in
Annexure-III). A list of materials and estimated quantity has been presented in Table
12.1 below.
TABLE 14.1: BILL OF QUANTITY
Sr. No. Equipment Model/Type Rating Total Qty Remarks
1. PV Module SPR-X21-345 345Wp 13 Nos. in

series 2112
2. Nos.
PV Arrays ---
in parallel
Total
27456
Nos.
3. DC Junction Box As
required
4. DC Distribution As per 220 Vdc As

Board Manufacturer's required
Standard
5. Battery VRLA/ Ni-Cd As per sizing 2

calculation
6. Battery Charger Float Cum Boost As per sizing 2

Charger calculation
7. Inverter Schneider Electric 680 kW 12

XC 680
8. DC Cable – UV Protected 4/6 sqmm LS

Module to array
JB
9. DC Cable -Array UV Type As per sizing LS

JB to Inverter calculation
10. HT Cables (for 33kV grade, AL., As per sizing LS

interconnection XLPE, calculation
between RMUs)
11. HT Cable (for 33kV grade, AL., As per sizing LS

interconnection
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Sr. No. Equipment Model/Type Rating Total Qty Remarks
between 33 kV XLPE, calculation
RMU to 33 kV
Main Switchboard
and to 33 kV Grid
Interface)
12. Control Cables 1100V grade, Minimum 2.5 LS

Multicore sqmm
13. Cable Trays & Metallic/ FRP 150mm/300 LS

Accessories mm/600mm
width of
individual
length of 2.5
Mtrs
14. 33kV RMU/ As per 33 kV. 25 kA LS

Switchgear Manufacturer's
complete VCB, Standard
with CT/ PT and
top mounted
Control Panel
15. 33KV Switchgear As per 33 kV. 25 kA Lot

in Main Control Manufacturer's
Room. Standard
16. 415V/ 230V As per Short time LS

Switchboard Manufacturer's rating 15 kA
Standard for 1 sec
17. Three Winding Oil Type, Outdoor 33/0.380 kV, 6 nos.
Inverter 1.4 MVA
Transformer
18. Common Auxiliary Dry Type/Oil Type, 33/ 0.415 1 nos.

Transformer Indoor/Outdoor kV, 100 kVA
19. Auxiliary Dry Type/Oil Type, 380/415 V, 6 nos.

Transformer Indoor/Outdoor 25 kVA
20. Transformer As per ---- 6 nos.

Protection Panel Manufacturer's
for three winding Standard
Inverter
Transformer
21. Lighting Fixtures As per --- LS

with all Manufacturer's
Accessories Standard
22. Indoor/Outdoor As per --- LS

Lighting Panels Manufacturer's
Standard
23. Lighting Poles As per --- LS

Manufacturer's
Standard
24. Automatic As per - 1 set Consists of 2 nos.

Weather Station Manufacturer's Pyranometers,
Standard anemometer,
hygrometer,
thermistor etc
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15. CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM (CDM)
Global warming and the adverse impact of climate change is a matter of concern to all
nations in the world. In view of this, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) has made it necessary for the developed countries (Annex–I18) to
limit their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to individual targets, resulting to an
average 5.2% reduction in the GHG emissions from their 1990 emission levels in the
committed period of 2008- 2012. The convention on climate change was agreed upon at
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio,
1992. The protocol covers six main greenhouse gases CO2, CH4, N2O, Hydro-floro-
carbons, Per-floro-carbons and Sulphur Hexa-fluride.
The Kyoto Protocol allows developed countries to achieve their targets in different
ways. To help reduce the cost of meeting these reduction commitments, three market
based ‘flexible mechanisms’ were designed:
International Emission Trading (trading of emission allowances between
developed nations)
Joint Implementation (transferring emission allowances between developed
nations, linked to specific emission reduction Projects) and
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
While different in operation, the three mechanisms are based on the same principle; that
industrialized countries are allowed to reduce emissions wherever in the world such
reductions are cheapest, and then count those reductions towards their national targets.
Joint Implementation (JI) and the CDM are called the ‘Project-based’ mechanisms
because they fund actual Projects. JI generally funds Projects in Annex-I countries
(normally in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union due to low costs); while CDM
Projects can only happen in developing countries which do not have any emission
reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol.
15.1. The Clean Development Mechanism

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the three flexibility mechanism
under the Kyoto Protocol (KP), 1997 allows a country with an emission-reduction or
emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission-
reduction Project in developing countries. Such Projects can earn saleable certified
emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be
counted towards meeting Kyoto targets. A CDM Project activity might involve, for
example, a rural electrification Project using solar panels or the installation of more
energy-efficient boilers.
18
Annex I countries which have ratified the Protocol have committed to reduce their emission levels of greenhouse gasses to targets
that are mainly set below their 1990 levels. They may do this by allocating reduced annual allowances to the major operators
within their borders. These operators can only exceed their allocations if they buy emission allowances, or offset their excesses
through a mechanism that is agreed by all the parties to UNFCCC.
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The operational mechanism of CDM involves an investment by legal entity from a
Non-Annex-I19 country which results in emission reductions. The investment decision
would include an agreement between the two parties and their respective countries on
the dispensation and transfer of the emission reductions resulting from the Project. The
emission reduction has to be certified by an appropriate authority (CDM executive
Board) and then these Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) can be used to meet
Annex-1-Commitment under the KP. A Project activity will be eligible for consideration
as a CDM Project if it is aligned with the national needs to the sustainable development
of the host country. Broadly Projects that contribute to credible and sustainable
reduction in GHG emissions qualify as CDM Projects.
15.2. Renewable Energy (RE) under CDM in India

Renewable energy deserves global attention and accelerated promotion due to its dual
benefits of augmenting energy security as well as mitigating GHG emissions. The major
reasons to accelerate renewable energy in India are as follows;
The inability of conventional systems to meet growing energy demand in an
equitable and sustainable manner.
The large scale and negative impact of conventional energy production and
consumption on the physical and human environment.
The need for meeting energy needs of an un-served population in rural and remote
areas as well as those residing on islands.
Need for maintaining a properly diversified energy mix. Such a diversified
portfolio would also help in minimizing the socio-economic impact if the supply
of a particular fuel were to break down.
Over the past decade, several RE technologies (RET) have attained technological
maturity, leading to commercialization. The focus has been on utilizing renewable
energy technologies that can help traditional fuels to be used in more efficient manner;
meet basic energy needs for cooking and lighting; and provide energy to rural industry
so as to improve the overall quality of life in India. RETs are also aimed at
complementing and/ or replacing fossil fuels in urban-domestic, commercial, and
industrial applications.
19
Non-Annex I Parties are mostly developing countries. Certain groups of developing countries are recognized by the Convention as
being especially vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, including countries with low- lying coastal areas and those
prone to desertification and drought. Others (such as countries that rely heavily on income from fossil fuel production and
commerce) feel more vulnerable to the potential economic impacts of climate change response measures. The Convention
emphasizes activities that promise to answer the special needs and concerns of these vulnerable countries, such as investment,
insurance and technology transfer.
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16. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
In order to compare the cost of different projects in the industry, we have to look at the
consolidated Capital Cost as well as the O&M Cost of Solar PV Power Projects and the
cost considered in the Tariff Orders of Regulatory Commission(s). A summary of such
analysis has been produced in the Table
14.1 below.
TABLE 16.1: CAPITAL COST AND O&M EXPENSES OF SPV PROJECTS
Sr. No. Location Year Capacity (MW) Capital Annual Annual

Cost O&M O&M Cost
(INR Cr Costs Escalation
/MW) (INR (%)
Lakhs
/MW)
1. Tamil Nadu 2015-16 (10+8+5) 8.46 7.0 5.00
2. Chattisgarh 2015-16 30.6 7.1 4.5 5.72
3. Punjab 2015-16 26.4 7.2 5.0 5.72
4. Rajasthan 2015-16 20.4 7.03 7.26 5.0
5. Rajasthan 2015-16 50 6.63 5.0 5.72
6. Karnataka 2015-16 6 7.04 7.0 5.0
7. Andhra 2015-16 39 6.44 5.2 5.0

Pradesh
8. Karnataka 2016-17 30 7.26 4.9 7.5
9. U.P 2015-16 34.5 6.90 4.33 5.0
10. Rajasthan 2015-16 57.58 6.63 5.0 5.72
11. Andhra 2015-16 6.0

106 5.0
Pradesh 6.54
12. Punjab 2015-16 52.5 6.19 5.00 5.72
13. Bihar 2015-16 27.1 6.89 4.0 5.0
14. Telangana 2016-17 143 6.10 5.75 5.0
15. CERC 2015-16 -- 5.87 13.0 5.72
16. CERC 2016-17 -- 5.30 7.0 5.72

17. RERC 2014-15 -- 6.65 12.7 5.85
18. GERC 2015-16 -- 6.00 10.75 5.72
19. KERC 2015-16 -- 5.87 13.0 5.72
P.009822-G-00008- A 101/ RESTRICT

As per our in-house database it is observed that the actual expenditure of different
projects varies from around INR 6 Cr/MW to INR 8.5 Cr/MW whereas the CERC Cost
assumptions for year 2016-17 is INR 5.30 Cr /MW. Cost of generation calculation for
the estimated yield at P50, P75 and P90 level is attached in Annexure 6.
P.009822-G-00008- A 102/ RESTRICT

At the helm of the Energy Transition, Tractebel provides a full range of engineering and consulting services
throughout the life cycle of its clients’ projects, including design and project management. As one of the world’s
largest engineering consultancy companies and with more than 150 years of experience, it's our mission to actively
shape the world of tomorrow. With about 4,400 experts and offices in 33 countries, we are able to offer our
customers multidisciplinary solutions in energy, water and infrastructure.
LAHMEYER INTERNATIONAL (INDIA)

PVT. LTD.
37, Institutional Area,
Sector 44, Gurgaon,
Haryana 122002
122 002 - Gurgaon - INDIA
tractebel-engie.com
Mayank THAPLIYAL
tel. +91 1244698500
[email protected]

NPCL 8MW Solar PV Project in UP

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NPCL: 8MW Solar PV Project

Tractebel Engineering S.A.

Imputation: Project No. P.009822

Client : Noida Power Company Limited

Subject : Detail Project Report - Final

Revision No. Date Prepared / Revision By Description

B 2016 09 29 LII Issued for review and comments

B 16/09/29 Prel. AM MTL RJC RJC

N VERIFIED APPROVED VALIDATED

2.1. The Project Promoter..............................................................................................15

2.2. The Consultant........................................................................................................ 15

2.4. Basis of the Report................................................................................................. 16

3. BACKGROUND: JUSTIFICATION OF THE REFERENCE SOLAR PV PROJECT.......................17

3.1. Power Scenario of India..........................................................................................17

3.2. Projections and Challenges...................................................................................20

3.3. Renewable Energy Scenario of India.....................................................................21

3.4. Promotion Schemes/ Incentives of Government of India....................................23

3.5. Energy Sector of Uttar Pradesh.............................................................................24

3.6. Renewable Energy Initiatives of Uttar Pradesh....................................................26

3.7. Solar Power Policy of Uttar Pradesh.....................................................................26

4.2. The Project Location...............................................................................................29

4.5. Shading Aspects..................................................................................................... 32

4.6. Water availability..................................................................................................... 34

4.7. Power Evacuation................................................................................................... 34

5. SOLAR RESOURCE ASSESSMENT..................................................................................................35

5.2. Solar Radiation over Greater Noida,......................................................................36

5.3. Climatic Condition................................................................................................... 39

6. ASSESSMENT OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES..................................................42

6.1. Global Scenario....................................................................................................... 43

6.2. Indian Scenario........................................................................................................ 44

6.3. Solar PV system...................................................................................................... 45

6.4. Market Share............................................................................................................ 49

6.5. PV Technology Selection for the reference Project.............................................50

7. ESTIMATION OF ANNUAL ENERGY YIELD.................................................................................53

7.2. Solar and Meteorology data...................................................................................54

7.5. Inter Row Pitch........................................................................................................ 56

7.6. Tilt Optimization...................................................................................................... 57

7.8. Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF)...........................................................................58

7.9. Annual Degradation................................................................................................ 59

7.10. Probabilistic Estimates........................................................................................... 60

8. PROJECT TECHNICAL DESIGN.......................................................................................................62

8.1. Plant Layout............................................................................................................. 62

8.2. Plant Electrical Design............................................................................................65

8.3. Codes and Standards.............................................................................................68

8.4. Solar PV Array......................................................................................................... 72

8.5. Inverter and Control................................................................................................ 74

8.6. Inverter Transformer............................................................................................... 75

8.7. Common Auxiliary Transformer and Unit Auxiliary Transformer.......................76

8.8. 33kV Switchgear...................................................................................................... 76

8.9. 33kV Local Switchgear/ Indoor Ring Main Unit....................................................77

8.10. 415V LV Switchboards............................................................................................78

8.11. Plant DC System...................................................................................................... 78

8.12. Cables and Accessories......................................................................................... 79

8.13. Lightning and Over Voltage Protection.................................................................81

8.14. Earthing System...................................................................................................... 81

8.16. Automatic Weather Station (AWS).........................................................................82

8.17. Civil Works, Site development & construction facilities......................................83

8.18. Power and Water Requirements............................................................................83

8.19. Fire Fighting............................................................................................................. 83