Prof. Sharad Bhartiya Research Group IIT Bombay

Modeling and optimal operation of solar thermal power plant

Modeling and optimal operation of solar thermal power plant (with Prof. Mani Bhushan)

The energy from the sun is readily available and abundant on the tropical areas of the earth. Utilization of the solar energy as a clean and renewable energy resource benefits the mankind as a whole by substantially contributing towards improvement of air quality, energy  security & economic development. In order to attain a desired electrical power production on a large-scale, the process has to be viable, both from operational as well as economical aspects. From an operational point of view, apart from other requirements, an effective advanced process control strategy has to be implemented for proper functioning of the plant, irrespective of fluctuations in operating parameters (for example, energy input from sunlight, flow rates of the working fluid) that may occur. The ongoing research work aims at designing an advanced control scheme needed for this solar thermal power plant. This work involves modeling optimization and control of I MW solar thermal power plant built at Gurgaon, India.