An economic sustainability analysis of hybrid solar-biomass system for sugar industries in India

Renewable energy systems have been gaining more importance in developing countries not only due to the increase in concern towards environmental sustainability but also resolving the looming energy crisis that bewilders economic development. Till date, inadequate attention has been paid to the integration of Renewable Energy(RE)sources in the industrial sectors of Tamil Nadu, India. Since industries have been key drivers of electricity consumption in the past decade, this paper aims at the simulation and analysis of hybrid Biomass-Solar Photovoltaic system for electrification of the process industries, especially sugar industries. The main objective of the paper is to minimize the cost of energy and Greenhouse Gas(GHG) emissions leading to sustainable development. The economic feasibility analysis is performed using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software and the sustainability analysis with the help of Clean Development Mechanism that can be adopted for the sugar industry. The simulation results support the effectiveness of the proposed grid connected solar-biomass hybrid system for the sugar industry with the net present cost of 16 million dollars (M$) combined with emission reductions of 6,266 tons/year. (author)