Techno-economic study of off-grid renewable energy system in Darma valley, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Rural and remote regions of developing economies face a serious scarcity of reliable energy supply. Focus on providing electricity through renewable and off grid energy resources is becoming increasingly popular. Off the grid or decentralized renewable energy typically considers either solar or small hydro power to fill the supply deficit and increase in demand with time is generally ignored. This paper proposes a hybrid technology mix of various renewable energy options for two remote villages located in Darma valley of Uttarakhand state in the Indian Himalayan Region. Since the villages are at an average height of 3500 m amsl, they are inaccessible during winters due to heavy snowfall. Therefore, decentralized energy could be the most cost effective solution to provide electricity. This paper estimates the energy demand of these villages and identifies the most optimum off the grid solutions, and compares it with grid connected electricity supply using hybrid optimization model for electric renewables. Micro hydro energy generation was found to be the most cost effective and techno-economically viable solution. This paper also evaluates the barriers faced by remote Himalayan villages so as to achieve reliable application of the results of this study.