The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government plans to use water bodies for floating solar farms and generate nearly 11,000 megawatts (Mw) of green energy.
The latest move comes as UP targets solar power generation of 22,000 Mw in four to five years.
The water bodies, including canals, dams, embankments and reservoirs, will be utilized to set up grid-connected floating photovoltaic or solar power plants.
Floating solar farms are solar panels mounted on a floating anchor structure, such as polyethylene, that floats on water.
Most of the floating plants are likely to crop up in Bundelkhand and Purvanchal (eastern UP), spread across Jhansi, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra.
The state government has constituted a high-level committee for identifying water bodies and setting norms for their allocation for the proposed solar parks.
UP New and Renewable Energy Development Agency has also conducted feasibility studies of a number of water bodies for future allocation.
The state irrigation department will allocate the water bodies to the alternative energy department for allocation to developers while ensuring that the projects do not disturb the local ecology or aquaculture.
In India, floating solar power plants are already operational in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
UP’s Additional Chief Secretary for Energy Mahesh Gupta said the plan would gain momentum after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The state irrigation department owns and manages a network of nearly 75,000 km of canals, 34,000 government tube wells, 92 reservoirs and 280 lift irrigation canals.
In August 2019, the Yogi Adityanath government had approved the proposal of major renewable energy companies ReNew Power and Shapoorji Pallonji to jointly invest Rs 750 crore in a 150 Mw floating solar project in UP.
The project was proposed at the existing Rihand hydropower project of UP Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited in Sonbhadra.
ReNew Power and Shapoorji Pallonji were tasked to develop 100 Mw and 50 Mw of solar power capacity respectively and supply the power to UP Power Corporation Limited at a rate of Rs 3.36 per unit for 25 years after commissioning.
Energy backup and solar products company Luminous Power Technologies is also exploring the potential for rooftop solar in the state. The Adani group is among the leading companies that have invested in the state’s green energy initiatives.
First print: April 19, 2024 | 7:07 PM IST