Highlights :
- Omkareshwar Reservoir will host the largest among floating solar power projects in India and the World
- Floating solar power projects overcome the major challenge of land acquisition faced by solar projects on land
From the founding member of International Solar Alliance in 2015 to installing over 50 GW of solar power capacity, India has come a long way in harnessing this renewable form of energy. With some of the biggest upcoming floating solar power projects, India further looks forward to add to its already surging solar capacity.
The South Asian leader had set a target of installing 100 GW solar capacity by the end of 2022. Yet, by the end of December 2021, India’s cumulative installed solar capacity was just 55 GW. About 77 per cent of that came from grid-connected utility-scale projects. The rest came from grid-connected rooftop solar (20%) and mini or micro off-grid projects (3%). Consequently, in August 2021, the government extended its target to a 300 GW Solar power for 2030. At the Glasgow climate summit (CoP26) in November 2021, the country further announced that India’s non-fossil energy capacity will reach 500 GW by 2030, meeting 50% of the country’s energy requirements by then.
Solar power is one of the best options for India to derive its renewable energy from. While solar park installations on land are much common, they are marred with few challenges. Some of these are land acquisition, grid connectivity, regulations and off-take.
Advantages of Floating Solar Power Projects
Floating solar power projects deploy the photovoltaic panels on the surface of water bodies. Thus, they address the land acquisition issues, leaving the land for other essential uses like agriculture. The cooling effect due to water proximity is another merit of the system. This improves the performance of solar photovoltaic panels by 5-10%, thus leading to significant cost savings over the time. Other plus-points include less grid interconnection costs, less water evaporation, improvement in water quality, and a reduction in algal blooming.
Thus, as a viable alternative to solar installations on land, India has also been making progress in floating solar power. Following are the top upcoming floating solar power projects in India – on planning stage, initial process, or partly under operation.
#1 Omkareshwar Reservoir (600MW)
State – Madhya Pradesh
The MP Cabinet granted approval for the development of Omkareshwar Floating Solar Park 600 MW in March, 2022. Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL) is the Solar Park Project Developer (SPPD) for the development of Omkareshwar Reservoir floating solar project.
The 600 MW capacity floating solar project on Omkareshwar reservoir is not only India’s but also the world’s largest floating solar project so far. Its total 600 MW capacity will comprise six units of 100 MW each of grid-connected floating solar photovoltaic projects. Moreover, it will also be a multipurpose project, fulfilling the objectives of land conservation and water conservation along with being useful for tourism, agriculture and …….