analysis of solar pv system and solar thermal energy to meet a dairy industry energy needs: a case study

The sun is the main source of energy that provides light and heat energy. with the advancements in the power electronic components, grid-tied solar pv systems are readily available for distributed generation to meet the energy requirements of the customers. the objective of this study and analysis is to predict the potential for solar pv systems and solar thermal energy exploration and the potential for mitigating co2 emissions and economic benefits. a case study is carried out at shimoga milk union limited (shimul) dairy, machanahalli, shimoga, karnataka, india, which handles 75 lakh liters of milk, consumes 2,03,524 units of electricity and 1350 tonnes of steam per month. analysis has been made on the integration of a 600 kw solar pv system with grid and solar water heaters with the necessary infrastructure for supplying electrical and thermal energy. the study yields the result that a solar pv system produces 60,000 units per month reduces 29.5% of electrical energy imported from the grid and 50 evacuated tube flat plate collector type solar water heaters of 1000-liter capacity to supply the 50,000 liters of hot water to the boiler at 65˚c reduces input of fuel by 23%, reduces the annual reduction of co2 emission by 1626 tonnes. return on investment for solar pv systems and solar thermal systems is 4.25 years and 2.7 years, respectively. the analysis extended for each of the various fuels typically used in boilers to produce steam. the procedure developed for estimating the potential for economic and environmental benefits using renewable energy sources for the dairy industry could be extended to any of the industrial sectors that need electrical and thermal energy.