Biogas supported Solar PV Micro Hybrid Power

Plant
Jagjeet Singh*, Harminder Singh**,Preetinder
Jatinder Sahi***,
Singh*****,
Arvind
Jaswinder
Dhingra****,
Singh*******
*,**,*** students of Masters of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College
,Ludhiana,Punjab-141006.
(e-mail:Jagjeetlitt90@gmail.com, harminderpandher@yahoo.com, jasssahi@gmail.com)
**** Assistant professor, *****,******Associate professor & Associate Professor in Department of Electrical Engineering, Guru Nanak
Dev Engineering College ,Ludhiana,Punjab-141006(e-mail:arvinddhingra@gmail.com)

AbstractThis paper is aimed at finding ways to the use Renewable Energy Resources like solar, biogas for generation of Electric
power. This type of energy generation will help to overcome global warming effect. A hybrid system of solar and biogas

has been proposed. The hybrid system using photovoltaic and biogas has higher reliability. Also it can be cost effective,
the residue produced will be less as compared to present biogas plants and it will improve the quality of life in small
towns and villages. The Hybrid power plant based power generation using solar energy and biogas as sources aims at
increasing the system efficiency and therefore encourages the use of Renewable energy resources. In order to meet the
varying load conditions we need to integrate different Renewable energy resources like wind, solar, biomass, biogas, fuel
cell technologies, small hydro etc.
Index Terms Photovoltaic Cell, Biogas, Hybrid systems, Battery, Solar energy

I.

INTRODUCTION

he world as we know is facing threat of fast depletion of present energy and fossil fuel reserves. Energy plays a vital role
for the progress of a nation and it is needed to be conserved in most efficient way. Energy should be produced in
environment friendly manner and must be conserved efficiently. The use of Renewable energy technology has been
steadily increasing in order to fulfill the required demand of energy. There are some drawbacks associated with renewable energy
systems such as lack of reliability etc. Most of population in our country lives in rural areas away from power grid. The cost of
supplying such consumers is very high and also losses concerned with them are also an issue in itself and poor supply reliability
problems are also there. The use of renewable energy resources in order to meet the increasing energy demand is increasing day
by day since they are less costly and are available in abundance, also cause less pollution as compared to non renewable ones.
Energy, Economy and Environment are the three inter related areas having direct correlation for development of any nation. This
type of power generation (power generation using non conventional sources) can be useful in three different ways Firstly it helps
in energy conservation and better utilization of available resources especially renewable that are available almost free of cost.
Secondly the cost of energy generated is less as compared to other non renewable resources like diesel etc. Lastly, considering
the impact of energy generation by renewable energy sources on pollution, which is very less makes generation from these
sources an attractive option. Also the end product of this type of hybrid plant can be used in many ways viz. the end product of
biogas plant can be used as fertilizer in fields. Also the grid interaction feature can be added to the plant so that the power
generated can be fed to the grid in off peak load hours and can be taken back from the grid in peak load hours as per requirement.
The cost of energy generated is less as compared to other non renewable resources like diesel etc.
The Hybrid systems are mainly combination of Photovoltaic with wind turbines and generators running on Diesel or bio-fuel is
also used in some applications. The diesel engines require frequent maintenance and are also expensive to run and therefore
mixture of solar and some other renewable energy source like biogas can be a useful solution to fulfill the power requirement at
very low cost specially in rural and remote areas.

The hybrid system using photovoltaic and biogas has higher reliability also it can be cost effective, the residue produced will be
less as compared to present biogas plants the cost of per unit energy generated will be much less and also it will improve the

quality of life in small towns and villages. Therefore overall this unique concept of power generation can be a one single solution
to different problems being faced presently.

II. BIO-GAS POWER SYSTEM

Biogas a mixture having 55-65 percent of methane, 30-40 percent Carbon dioxide and the rest are the impurities that are
present in one or other form and are produced from the decomposition of animal, plant and human waste. It is clean but slow
burning gas and usually has a calorific value between 5000 to 5500 kcal/kg. The material from which biogas is produced retains
its value and can be used as fertilizer.Bogas is popularly known as biogas because of the use of cow dung as its material. Biogas
is produced by digestion; pyrolysis or hydrogasification.Digestion is a biological process that occurs in the absence of oxygen
and in presence of anaerobic organisms at ambient pressure and temperature of 35-70 degree celcius.The container in which
digestion takes place is known as Digester.
The Anaerobic digestion consists of broadly three steps:
1) Enzymatic hydrolysis- Where the fats, starches and proteins contained in cellulosic biomass are broken down into simple
compounds.
2) Acid formation- Where the micro organisms of facultative and anaerobic group collectively called as acid formers,
hydrolyse and ferment and are broken to simple compounds into acids and volatile solids. As a result complex organic
compounds are broken down to short chemical simple organic acids. In some cases these acids may be produced in such large
quantities that the pH may be lowered to a level where all biological activities are arrested. This initial acid phase of digestion
may last about two weeks and during this period a large amount of carbon dioxide is given off.
3) Methane formation-Where organic acids as formed are converted into methane and carbon dioxide by bacteria which are
strictly anaerobs.These bacteria are called methane fomenters must remain in a state of dynamic equilibrium. This equilibrium is
very sensitive to pH changes. A pH value between 6.5 to 8 is the best for fermentation and normal gas production. If organic
acids are formed at a faster rate than the limited population of methane formers can assimilate, the accumulated acids will reduce
the pH to levels unfavorable to methane formers. The factors affecting Biodigestion are:
1) pH or hydrogenion concentration
2) Temperature
3) Seeding
4) Loading rate and Diameter to depth ratio
5) Nutrients
6) Mixing or stirring or agitation of content of the digester
7) Type of feed stock
8) Retention time.
9) Pressure
10) Acid accumulation inside digester.
PH or hydrogenion concentration- pH of the slurry changes at various stages of digestion in the initial acid formation stage
in the fermentation process the pH is around 6 and much of carbon dioxide is given off. In later 2-3 weeks time the pH increases
as the volatile acid and nitrogen compounds are digested and methane is produced.
Temperature-Methane bacteria work best at the temperature between 35-38 degree celcius.The fall in the gas production starts
at around 20degree and stops at 10 degrees. Generally it is easier to maintain the temperature of the digester at the mesophilic
range rather than at the thermophilic range.
Loading Rate-Loading rate is defined as the amount of raw material fed to the digester per day per unit volume .Most
Municipal sewage treatment plants operate at a loading rate of 0.5 to 1.6 kg of volatile solids per m 3 per day.
S.
Dung
Vol.
Detenti Gas
%
no loading
solids
on time, producti reducti
kg/m3/d loading
days
on unit on in
ay
kg/m3/d
vol. of volatile
ay
digester
matter
3
m /day
1
8.0
1.17
50
0.022
22.8
2
16.0
2.40
25
0.42
19.5
****** Source 1MW biogas power plant dairy complex Haibowal, Ludhiana, Punjab

Retention time-The period of Retention of the material for biogas generation inside the digester is known as the retention
period. This period will depend on the type of feed stock and temperature. Normal values of Retention period is between 30 and
45 days and 60 days in some cases.
By Regulating the daily feed volume the retention time can be controlled.
Periods for different materials to get well fermentation are:
1) Cow/Buffalo dung
50 days
2) Pig-dung
20 days
3) Poultry droppings
20 days
4) Night soil
30 days
Pressure-Some work conducted at National Environmental Research Institute (NEEERI) Nagpur and other places indicate that
the pressure on the surface of slurry also effects the fermentation
Digester Design Considerations:
Digester tanks may be of any convenient shape and provided with a cover to retain the gas .The cover may be fixed one or
floating .A number of factors are to be taken into account to arrive an optimum size of a biogas plant .These are:
1. The volume of waste to be digested daily
2. The type and amount of waste available for digestion consistently
3. Period of Digestion
4. Methods of stirring the contents i.e. available.
5. Method of adding the raw material and removing digested slurry
6. Efficiency of the collection of the raw material
7. The climatic conditions of the region
8. The availability of other cellulosic fermentable waste in that area
9. Information about sub-soil conditions and water table
10. Type of Cover
III. PROJECT SITE
We have taken up a case study for hybrid project whose details of site are given below:
Location: Canal View Enclave,(J.L.P.L Pvt,Ltd) Southern bypass ,Gill road, Ludhiana
Details about land: About 3 acres to 3.5 acres of land will be required with proper supply of water; also the site selected should
such that the pollutants in air are less so that it cannot adversely effect the operation of solar plant.
The land selected has capability to withstand the weight of the whole plant.
IV. SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
Solar energy is the energy produced by the sun through a process called thermonuclear fusion and it is the renewable source of
energy, the process converts the hydrogen into helium. The radiations from Sun are scattered in all directions and some part of
energy is lost by
Absorption
Scattering
Cloud cover
Climate
The solar energy radiations at the site are one of the important factors in design and implementation of plant. The solar cells
are also known as photovoltaic (PV) cells and these cells are p-n junction diodes and the junctions are placed close to the top
surface. The cells produce electricity when exposed to light .The word photovoltaic means electricity from light.
Photovoltaic are the direct conversion of light into electricity at atomic level. Some materials exhibit a property known as
photoelectric effect that causes them to absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these free electrons are captured
electric current results that can be used as electricity, this electricity can be used to power the load as per requirements.
Solar Panel-The solar panel is the power source of all photovoltaic installations. It is the result of a set of photovoltaic cells in
series and parallel.
Load-It is the components responsible to absorb energy and transform it into work. The diversity, complexity of the loads to be
connected to a photovoltaic system is difficult to be modeled.
Regulator-It is the element to protect the battery from the conditions such as overload and over discharge etc.The theoretical
formulation of the model can be simple but the inter performance with the rest of the model is necessary.

Inverter- The inverter allows transformation of DC current into AC current. A photovoltaic installation that incorporates an
inverter can belong to two different situations. An Isolated system where the inverter is the element of the network and has to
feed the set of loads, the inverter is connected to the system to which it sends the energy generated.
V. HYBRID SYSTEM
Hybrid system is combination of photovoltaic solar generation and biogas generation. The output is stored in the battery bank;
this energy is drawn by the electrical loads through inverter which converts DC power to AC power. The inverter has in-built
protection against short-circuit, overheating, low battery voltage and overload. The battery bank is designed to feed the loads up
to certain number of days with no sun or biogas depending upon the system requirement.
The solar panel is the power source of all photovoltaic installation. Photovoltaic (PV) are the solid state semi-conductor type
devices that produce electricity when exposed to light.

Hybrid power system

Prime mover systems are operated by I.C Engines which use biogas as fuel. The existing diesel engines can be modified to run
on dual fuel while still retaining the ability to run on diesel fuels too.
Biogas is a type of gas that is formed by biological breakdown of organic matter in an oxygen deficient environment. It is
counted as an eco-friendly bio-fuel. Biogas contains 60% methane and carbon dioxide. It can be employed for generating
electricity and also as automotive fuel. Biogas can be used as a substitute for compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquid petroleum
gas (LPG).
III. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
As the reliability of the solar system is less therefore in order to increase the Reliability the combination of the two systems is
used also the cost of energy generated will be less and the residue produced will be very less as compared to present Biogas
plants. The effective utilization of organic waste can yield gas equivalent to 285.5 million tons of coal. In micro hybrid plants for
350 KW plant about 3 acres to 3.5 acres of land will be required and initial investment will be approximately 4 crores and plant
can be operated by 20 persons, the per unit cost generation will be about Rs.5.83 and plant can be erected in 6 months.
About 5,000 similar plants can be set up in villages of Punjab and these villages can be supplied power through these plants,
the composite produced will be 4 tons approximately as compared to 8 tons produced by present biogas plants. Therefore power
generation using amalgamation of biogas and solar energy has vast scope specially in state like Punjab as huge quantity or we
can say required quantity of cow dung can be easily arranged and also solar panel can also be erected where required .The
environmental and social issues associated with this type of power generation are to be considered in this study. Overall it can be
said that this idea can lead to the upliftment in the standard of living by improving the basic necessities, also this idea can
provide employment to various unemployed youth in villages of Punjab .The Grid interaction feature in these plants can also
support the grid in overload conditions and also this will lead to power sufficiency in Punjab.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
In present case the capacity of proposed Biogas plant is 300 KW and that of proposed solar is 50kWP.The Annual energy
generated by 300 kW biogas plant is 1083320 kWh, and its generation cost is Rs.5.00/and the Annual energy generated by 50

KWp solar power plant is 175897.15 kWh . Details of both the plants are given in tables 5.1 and 5.2. and by using the data from
these tables payback period can be calculated
Table 5.1 : Biogas Plant Details
Dung Available
Biogas Produced
Capacity of plant
Capital cost of the plant
Subsidy
Net capital cost
Annual operating cost
Annual plant cost
Annual energy generated
Generation cost

27013 kg/day
1310.1305m3/day
300 KW
Rs 1,98,69,100
Rs 66,23,033
Rs 1,32,46,067
Rs 34,06,518.72
Rs 53,93,428.77
1083320 Kwh
Rs 5.00 per Kwh

Payback Period of biogas power plant:

Net capital cost = Rs.1,32,46,067
Annual operating cost = Rs.34,06,518.72
Total cost = Rs. 1,66,52,585.7
Annual income = Annual energy generated * Cost per unit
= 1083320 kWh * Rs.5.00 = Rs.54,16,600
Payback period of biogas plant=Total cost/Annual income =16652585.7 /5416600= 3.07 yr.
Table5.2: Solar power plant details
Proposed plant capacity
50kW
Maximum solar radiation
6.60 kWh/m2/day
Minimum solar radiation
3.38 kWh/m2/day
Average solar radiation
5.21 kWh/m2/day
Solar panel
240W
No of Solar panels
308
Annual energy gain
175897.15 kWh
Capital cost of the plant
Rs.1,72,95,840
Subsidy
Rs. 57,65,280
Net capital cost
Rs.1,15,30,560
Annual operating cost
0
Annual plant cost
Rs. 1,15,30,560
Annual energy generated
175897.15 kWh
Payback Period of solar power plant:
Net capital cost = Rs. 1,15,30,560
Annual operating cost = 0
Total cost = Rs. 1,15,30,560
Annual income =Annual energy generated*cost per unit =175897.15 kWh
*Rs11=Rs1934868.65
Payback period = Total cost / Annual income = 1,15,30,560 / 1934868.65 = 6 yrs.(approx)
Therefore the Payback period of biogas plant is 3.07 yrs. and that of solar power plant is 6 yrs and life of each plants is 20 years
approximately.
Cost of per unit power generated by Hybrid System
Operating years of Biogas power plant = 20 years
Operating years of solar power plant = 20 years
Per unit cost of biomass power plant = Rs. 5
Per unit cost of Solar power plant = Rs. 11
No. of units generated/day of biogas power plant = 2968
No. of units generated/day of solar power plant = 481
Per unit cost from hybrid system = [(No of years of operation of biogas plantNo of units generated per day by biogas plantper
unit cost of biogas plant)+( [(No of years of operation of solar plantNo of units generated per day by solar plantper unit cost of
solar plant)]/[(No of years of operation of biogas plantNo of units generated per day by biogas plant)
+( No of years of operation of solar plantNo of units generated per day by solar plant)]
=[(202968 5.00) + (2048111)]/ [(202968) + (20481)]

= Rs. 5.83
VII .CONCLUSION
This type of power generation can be useful in three different ways i.e. it helps in energy conservation and better utilization of
available resources especially renewable that are available almost free of cost secondly the cost of energy generated is less as
compared to other non renewable resources like diesel etc and at last considering the impact of energy generation by renewable
energy sources is very much less as the pollution ,harmful gasses are much less in this case and also the end product of this type
of hybrid plant can be used in many ways like the end product of biogas plant can be used as fertilizer in fields. Also the grid
interaction feature can be added to the plant so that the power generated can be fed to the grid in off peak load hours and can be
taken back from the grid in peak load hours as per requirement, for 350 KW plant about 3 acres to 3.5 acres of land will be
required and initial investment will be approximately 4 crores and plant can be operated by 20 persons, the per unit cost
generation will be about Rs 5.83 and plant can be erected in 6 months. About 5,000 plants can be set up in villages of Punjab and
these villages can be supplied power through these plants, the composite produced will be 4.5 tones approximately as compared
to 8 tons produced by present biogas plants. Therefore power generation using amalgamation of biogas+ solar energy has vast
scope specially in state like Punjab as huge quantity or we can say required quantity of cow dung can be easily arranged and also
solar panel can also be erected where required .The environmental and social issues associated with this type of power generation
are to be considered in this study.
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