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Techno-economic feasibility analysis of an on-grid IOT-based rooftop solar photovoltaic system for prosumers with a real-time implementation: a detailed case study and analysis using HOMER software

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Abstract

Tamil Nadu, a state in India, has many households with loads between 1 kW and 2.5 kW and a single-phase power supply of 230V, 50Hz. The bi-monthly energy consumption of these categories of houses crosses the band of 500 units, which leads to the excess payment of energy consumption costs. To utilize the plenty of renewable energy available in this state, we conducted a feasibility analysis to develop the optimal solar PV system for these types of households using HOMER software. Over the years from 2016 to 2018, real-time data from 500 residences in Tirumangalam, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, were gathered and utilized to design an optimal solar PV system for these households. On completion of the sensitivity analysis, the lowest Cost of Energy (COE), Net Present Cost (NPC), and Annual Operating and Maintenance Costs are $0.104, $158.36, and $4,389.76, respectively. An optimal 2kW on-grid Internet of Things (IoT)-based solar PV system is installed in 2019 for a residential building employed in the HOMER results, and the outcomes are compared to those without solar PV systems. It is been proven that adding a 2kW solar PV system leads to an average annual savings of $79.02 for the study period of 2019 to 2022.

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Abbreviations

RES:

Renewable energy sources

HES:

Hybrid energy system

SG:

Smart grid

SM:

Smart metering

AMI:

Advanced metering infrastructure

HPS:

Hybrid power system

GHI:

Global horizontal irradiation

PV:

Photo voltaic

NREL:

National renewable energy laboratory

COE:

Cost of energy

O&M:

Operating and maintenance cost

Whload :

Load in Watt-hour

L:

Panel length

B:

Breadth of the panel

IoT:

Internet of things

TERC:

Total emission reduction constraints

A:

Area of the panel

Cp :

Power coefficient

CRF:

Recovery factor in capital

Aintrinsic :

Panel intrinsic area

LF:

Life time

N:

Interest rate

n0 :

Nominal rate of interest

I:

Annual rate of inflation

Ct, ann :

Annual total cost

Ccapitalann :

Capital annual cost

Eserved :

Electrical energy served

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

SO2 :

Sulfur dioxide

NO:

Nitrous oxide

PI:

Profitability index

TRNSYS:

Transient energy system simulation program

ETPC:

Emission treatment penalty costs

RET:

Renewable energy technology

NSRD:

National solar radiation database

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their gratitude to the Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE) administration for helping us persist through the research-oriented work. Additionally, TCE's financial support for education through the Thiagarajar Research Fellowship scheme (File No. TRF/Jul-2022/01) is gratefully embraced.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Thiagarajar College of Engineering (Autonomous), Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Nishanthy Jayasankar, Charles Raja Sathia Samuel, Venkatesh Paramasivam & Arockia Edwin Xavier Santiago

  2. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kongu Engineering College (Autonomous), Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India

    Suresh Muthusamy

  3. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Raghu Engineering College (Autonomous), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Surya Kavitha Tirugatla

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  1. Nishanthy Jayasankar
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Contributions

Nishanthy Jayasankar and Charles Raja Sathia Samuel involved in writing the manuscript. Venkatesh Paramasivam and Arockia Edwin Xavier Santiago contributed to case study and analysis. Suresh Muthusamy and Surya Kavitha Tirugatla involved in overall supervision.

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Correspondence to Charles Raja Sathia Samuel or Suresh Muthusamy.

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Jayasankar, N., Sathia Samuel, C.R., Paramasivam, V. et al. Techno-economic feasibility analysis of an on-grid IOT-based rooftop solar photovoltaic system for prosumers with a real-time implementation: a detailed case study and analysis using HOMER software. Electr Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00202-024-02438-0

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