Optimized Grid-Connected Hybrid Energy System Configurations for Telecom Applications in Arid Conditions of Thar Desert

In a vast country like India with a rapidly expanding economy, meeting the ever-increasing energy demand is becoming a difficult task. Moreover, with the rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions due to the use of carbon-based fuels to meet the energy demands, there is an exigency of alternative sources of energy. Owing to the ease of availability and sharp fall in prices in recent times, Wind and Solar energy have become viable renewable resources in the Indian context. However, intermittency and highly variable nature of these resources are serious disadvantages that discourages their adoption. Hybrid energy systems, which employ two or more energy resources together, present an efficient solution to this problem. Unavailability of continuous power from the utility, especially in far-off areas, hampers the operation of the mobile base transceiver stations which require continuous power. As a result, these are usually powered by generators operating on carbon-based fuels leading to significant emissions. The paper proposes an optimal hybrid design based on techno-economic analysis of different combinations of hybrid systems that can be utilized to supply power to the mobile base transceiver stations operating in four different cities in the Thar Desert region in India. Various design cases, based on combinations of grid connected systems constituting wind turbines, solar panels and battery were evaluated for all the four locations. The net present cost, cost of energy and carbon emissions were also determined for each of the configurations.