Evaluation of Carbon Credits Earned by a Solar Energy Park in Indian Conditions

This paper presents an analysis of carbon credit earning by the Solar Energy Park (SEP) at I.I.T. Delhi, New Delhi, India. The solar energy park consists of a mud house, various hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) systems with stand alone photovoltaic (SAPV) power supply. The analysis is based on experimental and theoretical annual performance of each system. The life cycle cost analysis is based on the annual performance and carbon credit earning of the Solar Energy Park. The computation of the carbon credit earned by the Solar Energy Park as per the norms of the Kyoto Protocol under New Delhi climate condition has also been carried out. Estimation of carbon credits, which will accrue to the nation if one such Solar Energy Park is built in each district/ block/Village in the country, has also been evaluated. ‘Return on the investment’ analysis on the basis of the life cycle cost analysis has also been made. It is seen that the cost of power generated by the SAPV system (USD 0.14/kWh, USD 0.125, USD 0.116 for life cycle of 30, 40 and 50 years respectively) will be cheaper than the cost of power generated by conventional systems. It may be due to the improved technology and the economy of scale.