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Published:May 29, 2018 11:12 AM
Floating solar, also referred to as a floating solar array or floating solar farm, refers to an array of photovoltaic panels on a structure that floats on water. According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the total cumulative ground mounted capacity as of March 2018 is 20.6 GW. India is planning to harness floating solar technology along with other solar technologies to achieve the target of 100 GW by 2022. Indian government has recently launched a development plan to install up to 10 GW of capacity from floating solar, hybrid solar-wind and offshore wind systems. Though it is new and costlier technology compared to ground mounted solar projects, India is moving towards solar floating technology as it addresses the major challenge of land acquisition which many projects have faced in recent past. It has various benefits like conserving water through reduction of evaporation, increased power generation due to cooling effect on the panels, reduced installation time etc. India’s first floating solar PV (FSPV) plant of 10 kW in Rajarhat, Kolkata was developed by Arka Renewable Energy College and New Town Kolkata Development Authority under the chairmanship of solar power expert SP Gon Choudhury. The funding for the project was provided by MNRE. This power plant was installed by Vikram Solar in Rajarhat New Town in Kolkata on 23rd December 2014. In late 2017, the country inaugurated its largest solar floating plant of 500 kW (kilowatt peak) developed by Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) which was set up on the Banasura Sagar Reservoir in Wayanad. This one floats on 1.25 acres of water surface of a reservoir, and has 1,938 solar panels, which have been installed on 18 ferro cement floaters with hollow insides. The project uses high-efficiency solar panels and a floating substation has been set up on the reservoir itself to convert the output into 11 kV. Post 2017, there are significant announcements pertaining to floating solar projects in India. Two floating solar PV projects, each having 10 megawatts of capacity, will be set up in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The Andhra Pradesh plant is expected to be commissioned next year, whereas for the Kerala plant, location has not been confirmed. Andhra Pradesh is also planning to set up a 100 MW floating solar power project. The National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) has also announced plans to set up 600 MW of floating solar power project at the 1,960 MW Koyna Hydro Power Project. NHPC has plans to set up similar floating solar power projects in other states as well. In Kerala the company plans a 72 MW project, and in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh 50 MW projects each. Recently, competitive bidding process is being followed for the selection of developers in the floating solar space. Some of such projects are two 50 MW grid-connected floating solar PV projects on the Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Reservoir, located in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh; a 3 MW floating solar PV Project was tendered by the Greater Vishakhapatnam Municipal Corporation(GVMC) that is said to be developed on Meghadrigedda Reservoir in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; a 2 MW project on the Mudasarlova Reservoir in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; a 10 MW project in Lakshadweep, a 5 MW project in Andaman and Nicobar islands, a 5 MW project in the district of Murshidabad in West Bengal and 1,000 MW Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) project on Ujjani Dam Reservoir in Solarpur district of Maharashtra. International Coil Limited quoted INR 269.12 million in the 5 MW WBPDCL Murshidabad floating solar tender. A lowest tariff of INR 2.71 per unit was realized in the recent bid results of MSEDCL 1,000 MW floating solar tender which is lesser than the recent tariff of INR 2.97 per unit realized in Maharashtra for ground mounted solar power tender. Ground mounted solar bids and the technology is stable and well established in India whereas, floating solar technology projects are gearing up only in the recent past but the price discovered is competitive with the ground mounted tariff discovered. Also, the per MW benchmark capital cost for FSPV projects in India is around INR 80 million-150 million (Depends on the state in which the project to be set up) whereas the benchmark capital cost of utility scale ground mounted projects has fallen to Rs 35 million-50 million per MW. Interestingly, it can be observed that there is a three times difference in the project cost of ground mounted solar and floating solar power projects whereas the competitive bid tariff of floating solar is lesser than the ground mounted solar project tariff in Maharashtra which is either due to high competition or aggressive bidding. If it is because of aggressive bidding, then project developers are sacrificing their returns for competition which is a positive sign for the implementing agency and customers but viability of such projects would become questionable with time. Now, we have to play the role of wait and watch till the completion of these projects and sale of power at the quoted tariff. The upcoming floating solar bid results in the states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerela and West Bengal will bring more transparency about the competition in the newly adopted floating solar technology projects.
Floating solar, also referred to as a floating solar array or floating solar farm, refers to an array of photovoltaic panels on a structure that floats on water. According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the total cumulative ground mounted capacity as of March 2018 is 20.6 GW. India is planning to harness floating solar technology along with other solar technologies to achieve the target of 100 GW by 2022. Indian government has recently launched a development plan to install up to 10 GW of capacity from floating solar, hybrid solar-wind and offshore wind systems. Though it is new and costlier technology compared to ground mounted solar projects, India is moving towards solar floating technology as it addresses the major challenge of land acquisition which many projects have faced in recent past. It has various benefits like conserving water through reduction of evaporation, increased power generation due to cooling effect on the panels, reduced installation time etc.
India’s first floating solar PV (FSPV) plant of 10 kW in Rajarhat, Kolkata was developed by Arka Renewable Energy College and New Town Kolkata Development Authority under the chairmanship of solar power expert SP Gon Choudhury. The funding for the project was provided by MNRE. This power plant was installed by Vikram Solar in Rajarhat New Town in Kolkata on 23rd December 2014. In late 2017, the country inaugurated its largest solar floating plant of 500 kW (kilowatt peak) developed by Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) which was set up on the Banasura Sagar Reservoir in Wayanad. This one floats on 1.25 acres of water surface of a reservoir, and has 1,938 solar panels, which have been installed on 18 ferro cement floaters with hollow insides. The project uses high-efficiency solar panels and a floating substation has been set up on the reservoir itself to convert the output into 11 kV.
Post 2017, there are significant announcements pertaining to floating solar projects in India. Two floating solar PV projects, each having 10 megawatts of capacity, will be set up in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The Andhra Pradesh plant is expected to be commissioned next year, whereas for the Kerala plant, location has not been confirmed. Andhra Pradesh is also planning to set up a 100 MW floating solar power project. The National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) has also announced plans to set up 600 MW of floating solar power project at the 1,960 MW Koyna Hydro Power Project. NHPC has plans to set up similar floating solar power projects in other states as well. In Kerala the company plans a 72 MW project, and in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh 50 MW projects each.
Recently, competitive bidding process is being followed for the selection of developers in the floating solar space. Some of such projects are two 50 MW grid-connected floating solar PV projects on the Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Reservoir, located in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh; a 3 MW floating solar PV Project was tendered by the Greater Vishakhapatnam Municipal Corporation(GVMC) that is said to be developed on Meghadrigedda Reservoir in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; a 2 MW project on the Mudasarlova Reservoir in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; a 10 MW project in Lakshadweep, a 5 MW project in Andaman and Nicobar islands, a 5 MW project in the district of Murshidabad in West Bengal and 1,000 MW Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) project on Ujjani Dam Reservoir in Solarpur district of Maharashtra.
International Coil Limited quoted INR 269.12 million in the 5 MW WBPDCL Murshidabad floating solar tender. A lowest tariff of INR 2.71 per unit was realized in the recent bid results of MSEDCL 1,000 MW floating solar tender which is lesser than the recent tariff of INR 2.97 per unit realized in Maharashtra for ground mounted solar power tender. Ground mounted solar bids and the technology is stable and well established in India whereas, floating solar technology projects are gearing up only in the recent past but the price discovered is competitive with the ground mounted tariff discovered. Also, the per MW benchmark capital cost for FSPV projects in India is around INR 80 million-150 million (Depends on the state in which the project to be set up) whereas the benchmark capital cost of utility scale ground mounted projects has fallen to Rs 35 million-50 million per MW. Interestingly, it can be observed that there is a three times difference in the project cost of ground mounted solar and floating solar power projects whereas the competitive bid tariff of floating solar is lesser than the ground mounted solar project tariff in Maharashtra which is either due to high competition or aggressive bidding. If it is because of aggressive bidding, then project developers are sacrificing their returns for competition which is a positive sign for the implementing agency and customers but viability of such projects would become questionable with time. Now, we have to play the role of wait and watch till the completion of these projects and sale of power at the quoted tariff.
The upcoming floating solar bid results in the states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerela and West Bengal will bring more transparency about the competition in the newly adopted floating solar technology projects.
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