India’s single largest solar park

India’s single largest solar park

Part of: GS Prelims and GS -III – Energy; Conservation

In news 

• NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd has received the go-ahead from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to set up a 4750 MW renewable energy park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat. 
  • NTPC REL, NTPC’s subsidiary was incorporated in October 2020 to accelerate the Renewable Energy business of NTPC.
• This will be India’s largest solar park to be built.
• NTPC REL has plans to generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale from this park.

Other initiatives of NTPC

• It aims to build 60 GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2032. 
  • Currently, it has an installed capacity of 66 GW across 70 power projects with an additional 18 GW under construction.
• It has also commissioned India’s largest Floating Solar of 10 MW (ac) on the reservoir of Simhadri Thermal Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh. 
• 100 MW Floating Solar Project on the reservoir of Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant, Telangana is in the advanced stage of implementation.

Image Source: NTPC

What are floating Solar Plants?

• It refers to the deployment of photovoltaic panels on the surface of water bodies.
• Advantages:
  • Address Land Acquisition Issues: Floating solar plants balance high population density and competing uses for available land. 
  • Cooling Effect: The bodies of water exert a cooling effect, which improves the performance of solar photovoltaic panels by 5-10%.
  • Reduced grid interconnection costs, reduced water evaporation, improved water quality, and reduced algal blooming.
• Challenges:
  • Expensive
  • Degradation and Corrosion: The installation is at risk of degradation and corrosion due to moisture
  • Developing floating solar projects requires a thorough understanding of water-bed topography and its suitability for setting up anchors for floats.

News Source: PIB