Maha mulls solar panels on reservoirs

MUMBAI:With Maharashtra facing its worst-ever drought in more than 40 years, the state government is looking at various conservation methods, including installation of floating solar panels on reservoirs which help reduce evaporation.

With Maharashtra facing its worst-ever drought in more than 40 years, the state government is looking at various conservation methods, including installation of floating solar panels on reservoirs which help reduce evaporation.

“It has been proved that installation of floating solar panels help reduce evaporation of water even as the lower temperature helps improve power generation,” an official from the Maharashtra State Electricity Development Corporation Ltd (MSEDCL) said. Floating solar panels have been installed in Kerala, while fixed panels have come up above the canals carrying waters from the Narmada in Gujarat.

In Maharashtra, a 1,000-MW floating solar power plant is in the process of being constructed on the Ujani dam in Solapur. Proposals to install floating solar panels on other water bodies like the Irai dam were shelved due to the high cost involved, according to officials. Among other things, the floats carrying the solar panels need to be imported, which inflates the cost of the project.

However, with parts of Maharashtra facing drought, officials are focusing on conservation benefits of floating solar panels as well. Floating solar power plants would have helped reduce evaporation in the 749 minor irrigation projects in drought-prone Marathwada district.

Source: The Tribune