Floating Solar

With the power minister hinting a new renewable energy tariff policy could be in the works, the federal agency responsible for solar – which has come under fire after the latest delay to a troubled PV manufacturing tender – has boasted of the volume of clean power it has signed deals for recently.

Technical consultancy DNV GL has published its Energy Transition Outlook 2019. While the electric vehicle, storage and renewable energy industries are likely to see significant rises in demand, the sobering conclusion is the world will miss carbon reduction targets by a long shot.

With developers facing land constraints, a huge pipeline of floating PV projects is currently in the early stages of development in India. While the outlook for solar on water in the fast-moving solar marketplace appears bright, there is much industry learning still to be had and a steep learning curve for component suppliers and developers alike.

The state is lagging woefully in the transition to renewable energy with just 38 MW of solar generation capacity towards its 2020 target of 2.65 GW.

Tenders have begun to drive next-generation solar and storage applications in India. And as developers, administrators and asset owners become more familiar with the technology, the advantages of PV on water and in battery storage are driving the emergence of a pipeline of projects. Surbhi Singhvi, manager of consulting for Bridge to India, discusses the outlook and challenges for both applications.

Floating PV arrays have the advantage of bypassing lengthy and costly land acquisition processes for developing megawatt-scale solar projects in India. When combined with the additional output from cooler modules and system-level advantages when located on hydro dams, the upside is significant. But durability of modules-on-water is of concern, and one about which there is little awarenesss, says Vivek Chaturvedi, regional business director for DSM Advanced Solar.

The plant will attract an investment of Rs 750 crore into the state, with Rs 500 crore coming from ReNew Power to set up 100 MW and Rs 250 crore from Shapoorji Pallonji for the remaining 50 MW.

The winning developer will be able to use solar modules and cells of any origin for the plant, which will be built in Auraiya district, Uttar Pradesh. Bidding closes on Sept. 5.