Volume: 19 Issue-01 (January-June) 2024

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“SOLAR-AIDED COAL FIRED POWER GENERATION: A SYNERGISTIC APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY”

ABSTRACT

The goal of this project is to develop a more sustainable and effective energy production system by investigating the integration of solar energy technologies with traditional coal-fired power generation. The synergistic combination of coal and solar power reduces carbon emissions, improves overall efficiency, and tackles the environmental issues related to conventional fossil fuel-based facilities. This study presents a thorough investigation of solar-aided coal-fired power generation, covering its technical features, economic feasibility, and environmental impact. It is a hybrid energy solution. The research involves conducting a comprehensive literature survey on the integration of coal and solar power generation and assessing the potential scope of such integration in the context of India. Following this, the focus shifts to the identification of a coal-fired thermal power plant in the Konkan region for a detailed case study. The analysis encompasses evaluating coal consumption, carbon footprints, cost per unit of electricity generation, and the efficiency of the selected power plant. These findings will be meticulously incorporated into simulation software’s “MATLAB” to design a model of the existing power plant and “System Advisory Model”. A Heat and Mass Balance (HMB) system is a crucial tool used in thermal power plants to analyze and optimize the overall energy and material flows within the system. It provides a comprehensive overview of how heat is generated, distributed, and utilized within the plant. In Stage II, the research will shift towards the calculation of solar energy availability in the Konkan region across different months of the year. Various techniques for integrating solar power with the existing coal-fired plant will be compared to identify the most efficient method. This selected method will be further simulated in the chosen software platform. The research will culminate in the generation of graphs depicting parameters such as coal consumption, carbon footprint, and efficiency. A comparative analysis will then be undertaken, contrasting the integrated system with solar power against the existing coal-fired system. This comparative assessment aims to clearly articulate the benefits of integrating solar energy into existing coal-fired power plants in India.

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