Adani Green Energy (AGEL), India’s largest renewable energy company with over 12.5 GW operational assets, has announced that all its operational locations will achieve net water positivity by 2025-26.
The renewable energy sector needs significant water for tasks such as solar panel maintenance. AGEL said it is committed to reducing its freshwater consumption across all operations.
Being water positive means adopting practices that not only save water but also increase water availability in the surroundings. For industries, this means replenishing more fresh water to nature than they consume in their operations.
Adani Green Energy’s roadmap to realizing the goal of achieving water sustainability encompasses initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, leveraging technology to minimize water usage during solar panel cleaning, and collaborating with local communities to advocate for better water conservation practices.
AGEL has already achieved net water positivity at all operational locations with capacities exceeding 200 MW in FY23 itself.
The company has decreased its water use intensity and contributed to replenishing water resources in regions facing water stress, such as Khavda, Jaisalmer, Kutch, among others.
Last year, the company avoided 347,310 kl of water through robotic cleaning, equivalent to the water consumption of 1.58 million households. 43.5% of Adani Green Energy’s total operating capacity, has integrated robotic technology for cleaning PV modules. With ISO 14001:2015 certification, Adani Green Energy has a robust system to monitor and manage its water consumption.
Innovative initiatives
Adani Green Energy aims to reduce the need for water-cleaning solar PV modules by adopting waterless robotic cleaning methods. As of March 31, 2024, 4,760 MW of its solar power plants, accounting for 43.5% of its total operating capacity, have integrated robotic technology for PV panel cleaning.
To eliminate the use of plastic bottled water to fulfil drinking water requirements, Adani Green has implemented a technology that harvests water from humidity in air using green technology. “This innovative solution provides fresh, hygienic, and clean drinking water that conforms to international water safety standards while eliminating the use of plastic and reducing carbon footprints,” stated AGEL. The company said a proof-of-concept (POC) was conducted at its solar plant in Andhra Pradesh with a water generation capacity of 100 litres per day (lpd) along with a water cooler, yielding significant savings and a payback period of five-six years.
AGEL
Pond rejuvenation and enhancing ponds’ water holding capacity is a comprehensive project aimed at increasing the ground recharge capacity and enhancing the water level. As part of this initiative, Adani Green Energy de-silted and rejuvenated 35 in FY24 resulting in water level enhancement achieved benefiting 36,000+ people residing in villages.
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