India’s largest floating solar power project commissioned

What is the News?

India’s largest floating solar plant is now fully operational at Ramagundam in Telangana’s Peddapalli district.

About Ramagundam Floating Solar Project

It is a 100-megawatt(MW) floating solar power photovoltaic project commissioned by the National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC). 

Features:

The project is endowed with advanced technology and Environment-friendly features.

The solar modules are placed across 500 acres on floaters manufactured with high-density polyethene material that keeps floating irrespective of water-level fluctuations

This project is also unique in the sense that all the electrical equipment including inverter, transformer, HT panel, and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) are also on floating Ferro cement platforms.

What are the benefits of the project?

Less Land Required: The most obvious advantage is the minimum land requirement mostly for associated evacuation arrangements.

Reduced Water Evaporation Rate: The solar panels floating on the water surface will reduce the evaporation rate and thereby help water conservation

Reduced Co2 Emission: The water body underneath the solar modules helps in maintaining their ambient temperature, thereby improving their efficiency and generation. Similarly, while coal consumption of 1,65,000 Tons can be avoided per year; Co2 emission of 2,10,000 tons per year can be avoided.

Source: The post is based on the article “India’s largest floating solar power project commissioned” published in PIB on 1st July 2022.