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Floating solar potential in India-
Considering the abundance of water resources and high solar irradiation levels, India possesses significant potential for floating solar installations. A study conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) indicates that India could harness up to 280 GW of floating solar power by utilizing merely 10-15% of its water bodies. This potential holds immense value, especially for commercial and industrial customers who require highly efficient clean energy but tend to deal with space-related concerns.
Floating solar, also known as floating photovoltaic (FPV), involves installing solar panels on water bodies such as lakes, ponds, dams, and reservoirs. As developers with experience in this field, we have also witnessed immense potential in repurposing exhausted mines and quarries into floating solar plants. With several advantages over conventional ground-mounted or rooftop solar systems, as mentioned below, harnessing the potential of floating solar can reap more benefits than one.
Higher efficiency: The water cools the panels and reduces the temperature-related losses.
Water conservation: The panels reduce evaporation and algae growth, thus saving water.
Land optimization: The panels utilize the otherwise unused water surface, thus saving land and avoiding conflicts with other land uses.
Easy installation and maintenance: The panels are modular and flexible and can be easily installed and removed without requiring heavy machinery or civil works.Abandoned mines and quarries as floating solar plants
Many industries like Cement, Glass and Metal Ores use quarries to address their mineral requirements. Once consumed entirely, these quarries become huge pits where water gets stored organically or purposefully. Using such quarries and mines to set up floating solar PV offers high efficiency energy generation without the challenges of land availability and acquisition. In many cases where this repurposing is done for the same company, it also becomes logistically and economically relevant to have a solar plant in their premises.
Floating Solar PV on an abandoned quarry comes with its own set of challenges, though. From plant design to the choice of specific equipment, innovation and experience take centre stage to fit the size and shape of the mine. Similarly, navigating through the intricacies of regulatory challenges to acquire approvals from mine safety statutory bodies like DGMS and IBM requires the experience and expertise of the chosen developer. In our experience of developing such plants, once navigated through these challenges, these plants offer a long-term eco-friendly and economical solution for the C&I customers.
As per the available statistics, there are 378 Cement Plants across 184 companies and an exploration area of 655 square kilometres for limestone. As the industry evolves, various conglomerates are accumulating data on potential sites, presenting an opportunity for converting abandoned mines and quarries into the powerhouse of sustainable energy generation. If put to use, these sites can add significant quantum to India’s total floating solar capacity and contribute to the country’s goal of 450 GW by 2030.
By Abhishek Khandelwal, Head Engineering and Costing, On-Site Business, Amplus Solar
Amplus, Asia’s leader in distributed clean energy, offers on-site and off-site solar solutions, along with battery storage, residential solar, green hydrogen, and EV logistics, boasting 1.5+ GW in solar assets serving 350+ major clients. It’s set to generate 22 billion units of electricity, reducing CO2 emissions by 21 million metric tonnes, equivalent to the impact of 24 million mature trees over 40 years. A member of Gentari Sdn Bhd, Amplus supports renewable energy, hydrogen, and green mobility to promote net zero emissions. |
