A solar farm, also known as a How Waaree RTLphotovoltaic (PV) power plant, is a large solar array that converts sunlight into energy that feeds the power grid. Many of these large arrays are owned by utility companies and offer the additional advantage that the utility company supplies power to properties within its service area.
A broader definition of the solar farm could include other ground-mounted solar systems large enough to power many homes. This general concept of a solar farm can be related to community solar projects, community solar projects with hundreds of solar panels, and large utility-scale solar systems with thousands of solar panels. I can do it. In some cases, community solar can be a great alternative for homeowners who don't have solar options available on their property.
How much is an acre of land by the way in general calculations for Solar PV system design?
1 Acre = 43,560 Sq.ft.
Now we need to know more about our Solar Panel rating and its size in order to understand the number of modules that can fit in an acre of the solar farm.
Let us take the Waaree Bifacial 540Wp PV module in our calculation –
As it is a rectangle in shape, let us calculate its surface area using A = L*W
Where
A is an area of a rectangle
L is the length of one side of a rectangle
W is the width of one side of a rectangle
In our case
L = 2272mm
W = 1133 mm
Hence,
Area = 2272*1133
= 25,74,176 mm2
= 27.7 Sq ft.
Now let us calculate the number of 540 Wp Waaree PV modules that can fit in one acre of the solar farm.
From previous conversions,
1 Acre = 43,560 sq. ft.
In order to know the number of PV modules that can fit in the 1-acre farm, we need to divide the total area by the area of one solar module.
That is,
The Number of PV modules that can fit in One-acre farmland = 43560/27.7
= 1572.6 ~ 1573 PV modules can be installed in one-acre farmland.
Now as we know that each module is of 540Wp power rating so we can easily calculate the total capacity of our PV power plant that can be installed on a one-acre solar farm.
The total capacity of a PV power plant = 1573*540 = 8,49,420 Wp ~ 850 kWp
Taking a general figure of 1 MW power plant cost which comes as INR 4-5 Crore, we can state that an 850 KW PV power will cost somewhat around INR 3-3.7 Crores
Well, this depends upon what geography/terrain you install your solar power plant.
Let’s do this simple calculation taking Jaisalmer, Rajasthan as geography using a step-by-step process.
Step 1: Find the irradiance at that location.
Go to –
Enter Jaisalmer in the location bar in the header, it will show the related data on the right-hand side, as shown below:
Now chose Ground mount while scrolling the right-hand side date window down as shown below:
Now click on change PV system and mention 850kW in the plant size as mentioned below:
Now click on apply
On the right bottom click on Open details as shown below:
Upon clicking it you’ll find a detailed generation report of your power plant for the Jaisalmer location.
You can access our sample report here: https://globalsolaratlas.info/detail?c=27.446134,70.926361,11&s=26.921761,70.919114&m=site&pv=ground,180,29,850
Now as per our exercise this plant will generate approx 1.499 GWh per year which means 1499000 KWh (Units).
Now as per the above detailing we know about the power generation per year from our sample power plant.
About ‘how much money your plant can generate per year,’ also depends upon the PPA (Power purchase agreement) rate decided.
In easy words,
If your per unit price is = Rs 2.54 then you will be able to generate a revenue of Rs 38,07,460
If your per unit price is = Rs 3.24 then you will be able to generate a revenue of Rs 48,56,760
If your per unit price is = Rs 4.50 then you will be able to generate a revenue of Rs 67,45,500
Let us assume that our Solar power plant costs around INR 3.5 Crore, which will be termed as the combined cost. Now you need to deduct incentives if you’re installing the solar power plant under central government schemes in India from the combined cost, if there are no incentives then your combined cost will be equal to the gross investment done by you for this PV plant.
Now let’s talk about the annual return/revenue generated from this power plant.
Case 1: Taking Rs 2.54 as a per unit selling price
Combined cost = Rs 3,50,00,000
Annual returns = Rs 38,07460
Payback period will be = 35000000/3807460 = 9.19 years
Case 2: Taking Rs 3.24 as a per unit selling price
Combined cost = Rs 3,50,00,000
Annual returns = Rs 48,56,760
Payback period will be = 35000000/4856760 = 7.2 years
Case 3: Taking Rs 4.50 as a per unit selling price
Combined cost = Rs 3,50,00,000
Annual returns = Rs 67,45,500
Payback period will be = 35000000/6745500 = 5.18 years
The above exercise to calculate the revenue and payback from a One-acre solar farm can vary depending upon various factors, like site-specific detailing (Wind speed, soil type, irradiance, etc) for generation and PPA rates. Conclusively we can say that to experience an increased ROI one must focus on two crucial aspects, a. How to generate more power from the respective PV power plant, and b. How to crack a PPA deal at a higher per unit price.
WAAREE RTL (WRTL) is Waaree Energies’ EPC arm which is also a listed company in India. It has an experience of more than 600MWp of Solar power plant installations across several countries including projects like ‘50MW in 100 Days – Vietnam’, while embarking on a successful competence in Ground mounted, Rooftop and Floating Solar power projects. WRTL has helped numerous clients with their transition to clean energy and helped reduce their carbon footprint with SOLAR POWER. Step on to your cleaner journey by contacting us at 18002121321 or mail us at waaree@waaree.com
