A spatial analysis of techno-economic feasibility of solar cities of India using Electricity System Sustainability Index

Numerous schemes with solar incentives are introduced by the Government of India to promote the adoption of solar energy technologies in Indian cities. However, the success rate of this program in the selected pilot cities needs to be explored and analyzed. Therefore, this study identifies the resources which may facilitate or obstruct the performance of the solar cities of India. This study was conducted to add a new index value to the literature to assess the regional demand analysis of the nation's future electricity scenario with the help of a hybrid power generation and distribution system. Here, the solar hotspots of India are mapped, not only focusing on the geographical aspects of the region but also with respect to the existing solar energy policies, technology, electricity system, and the economic capacity of the cities. Additionally, a sustainability index of the electricity supply system for each city was formulated to benchmark cities based on their sustainable power generation and distribution system. Finally, TOPSIS approach was used to determine the solar cities with the highest technical and economic potential to fulfil the targets of the solar city mission successfully. The assessment of the technical and economic potential analysis from the dataset indicates that the cities situated in the north, the central and western parts of India have better opportunities to harness solar energy than cities of the north-east, east and southern India. Cities like Leh, Amritsar, Gandhinagar, Indore, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Nagpur, and Raipur, situated along the north-west-central India are highly desirable to attract investors to disseminate solar energy technologies in these cities, thereby highlighting the possible directions of future investments in the solar cities of India. The Electricity System Sustainability Index (ESSI) gives an overview of the extent of sustainability achieved in terms of number of new connections, cost variability, economic productivity, energy losses, power availability during peak hours, and the renewable energy generation capacity of the system. It was observed that cities with better economic performance and environmentally sustainable have performed better in ESSI and are more inclined towards adopting hybrid mode of electricity generation.