Monday, September 16, 2013: The concept of floating solar power facility will soon be a reality in India. A team led by SP Gon Chaudhuri, director at Development Consultants Private Limited and vice chairman at Calcutta Institute of Technology, is developing first floating solar power facility, which is likely to come in existence by 2014.
The team has already sought permission for developing the first prototype in a pond located at the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. The prototype will have the solar panels fitted on a platform which will have hollow containers, that will help the facility to float. This kind of solar power station will require at least 3,000 square feet of space and will be capable of generating 10 kilowatts (approx) of power.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Choudhury said, “Developing a floating solar power station would prove to be a revolutionary step as it could solve the perennial problem of land. Such pilot projects are also going on in a few countries such as France and Australia.”
“Studies have also shown that if the rear surface of solar panels are kept cooler, then their ability to generate power goes up by 16 per cent. As these solar panels would be floating on water, they are expected to stay cool and hence we can generate more power than those set up on land,” Choudhury added.
If the team is successful with the pilot, the next step they will take is to develop floating solar facilities on the reservoirs and dams of some of India’s hydroelectric power stations. Such installations will help in adding the power generation capacity of the existing renewable energy plants and also meet the demand and conserve water during dry seasons. It is worth mentioning here that the project is being funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
