One of the leading states in India’s renewable energy sector, Maharashtra is now considering installating floating solar panels on the Irai dam in the Chandrapur region of the state. A 500kW floating solar plant in Kerala was recently inaugurated, and further floating solar plants in India are cropping up.
State-run power generation company Mahagenco will conduct a feasibility study on solar panels on dams. Private solar agency Gensol will carry out the development and installation of these floating modules. The dam is owned by Mahagenco and thus, if the feasibility study results are positive, Mahagenco will proceed with the project, reported the PV Magazine.
By building floating solar farms developers do not need to acquire lands, while solar modules floating atop water reserves can reduce evaporation from body of water.
The project would be set up as a public-private partnership model with a competitive tariff bidding process. Mahagenco currently has 1,800 MW of grid-connected solar capacity in different areas of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra has established a goal of adding 7,500 MW of power generation through solar by 2020. This target is divided between Mahagenco and Maharashtra energy development agency (MEDA), at volumes of 2,500 MW and 5,000 MW respectively.
