Rectangular Spiral Inspired Approach for Estimating Area of Solar Photovoltaic Plants in India

In pursuit of achieving its clean energy goals, India is moving aggressively towards establishing large solar plants. Land being a finite resource in a densely populated country like India, an approach for planning for these plants aiming towards better utilisation of available land resource is certainly of interest. There is merit in looking at a design approach which aides planning by offering high packing density leading to reduced land utilisation. The objective of this paper is to propose a method which can provide the rational area estimate of a plant factoring sizing considerations from electrical, maintenance, and shading aspects. The idea for the plant design is inspired by the number pattern illustrated in the Ulam spiral. From the perspective of planning, the proposed approach aims to provide an area estimate which could set the boundary conditions in term of realistic potential estimation and minimum land area required. Further, the paper provides insights with respect to land area requirements across the latitudinal spread for India. Also, it provides an estimate of the solar power potential for ground mounted utility scale plants in India.