Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the NTPC-Kayamkulam floating solar power project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually dedicated the 92-MW floating solar power plant being up at the National Thermal Power Corporation's (NTPC) Kayamkulam unit to the country on Saturday. Mr. Modi announced the project while attending the Grand Finale of 'Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya - Power @2047,' an event organized to highlight the achievements in the power industry over the last eight years as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.'

Mr. Modi stated at the event that India has pledged to build 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the end of its 75-year independence. "We're getting close to the finish line. So far, approximately 170 GW of non-fossil capacity has been installed "According to the Prime Minister, India is among the top four or five countries in terms of installed solar capacity.

The Kayamkulam facility is the NTPC's second-largest floating solar power project, behind the 100-MW Ramagundam plant in Telangana. "Many of the world's largest solar power plants are now located in India. The country now has two more large solar projects. These facilities, erected in Telangana and Kerala, are the country's first and second largest floating solar plants, respectively "Mr. Modi stated.

Conserving energy

The Prime Minister stated that, in addition to expanding electricity generation, the administration was focusing on energy conservation. "Saved electricity equals a brighter future." The PM Kusum Yojana is an excellent illustration of this. "We are supplying solar pump facilities to farmers and assisting in the installation of solar panels on the edge of fields," he explained.

The floating solar system was constructed on a 450-acre lake near the NTPC's Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project (RGCCPP). According to officials, the plant's power could power around 26,000 households every day. Every year, the initiative might help reduce carbon emissions by 1.73 lakh tonnes. The project, which cost 465 crores to implement, consists of about three lakh Made in India solar PV panels floating on water.

Because of the expense, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has not drawn power from the 359-MW naphtha-fueled RGCCPP since 2017. It prompted the NTPC to change its emphasis to solar energy. Previously, the KSEB signed a contract with the NTPC to purchase power from the floating solar system for $3.16 per kWh.

The NTPC has approximately 1,000 acres of property, which includes waterbodies suitable for establishing floating solar installations. It has recently completed a few minor solar projects at the Kayamkulam location.

The occasion was attended by A.M. Ariff, MP, Chingoli grama panchayat president G. Sajini, NTPC general manager S.K. Ram, and others.

He added of the financial challenges faced by electricity providers, "It is not a matter of 'Rajniti' (politics), but of 'Rashtra Niti' and country development."

"They have to give this money to electricity producing firms," he added, adding that many government departments and local authorities owe power distribution companies more than Rs 60,000 crore rupees.

According to the Prime Minister, power firms are unable to receive even the money committed for electricity subsidies in various states on schedule and in whole. The arrears total more than Rs 75,000 crore.

According to the Prime Minister, the country has gained over 1.7 lakh MW of energy generation capacity in the last eight years. He stated that One Nation One Power Grid has become the country's strength. To connect the entire country, over 1.7 lakh circuit kilometers of transmission lines had been installed.

The country was approaching saturation by providing 3 crore connections under the Saubhagya Scheme, he remarked.

He also lay the groundwork for the 735 MW Nokh solar project in Rajasthan, the Leh green hydrogen mobility project, and the Gujarat Kawas green hydrogen blending with natural gas project.

The Prime Minister also unveiled a national solar rooftop portal, which will allow online tracking of the process of installing rooftop solar plants, from application submission through the distribution of subsidies into residential users' bank accounts following installation and inspection of the plant.

Ramagundam's National Thermal Power Corporation initially constructed a 10-MW solar power plant, which generated approximately 12 million units of power per year while preserving approximately 14,000 tonnes of coal reserves.

It then spent Rs 423 crore to build a 100-MW floating solar power facility on its 500-acre balancing reservoir. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited built the project (BHEL).

On a sunny day, the country's largest such plant generates approximately 5 lakh units of power.

A total of 1.65 lakh tonnes of coal can be saved per year, resulting in a reduction of 2.1 lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The floating construct covers the reservoir's water and lowers evaporation by around 32.5 lakh cubic metres.

The project is organized into 40 2.5 MW blocks. Each block is made up of 11,200 solar modules. The floating platform is equipped with an inverter, a transformer, and a breaker.

On floating ferro cement platforms, all electrical equipment, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), is installed.

The system's anchoring is comprised of concrete blocks.

PM Modi also lay the groundwork for the 735 MW Nokh Solar Project in Rajasthan, the Leh Green Hydrogen Mobility Project, and the Gujarat Kawas Green Hydrogen Blending with Natural Gas Project.

The 735 MW Solar PV Project at Nokh, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, is India's largest domestic content requirement-based Solar project with 1000 MWp at a single location, deploying high-wattage bifacial PV Modules with tracker system.

The Green Hydrogen Mobility Project in Leh, Ladakh, is a pilot project that aims to run five fuel cell buses in and around the city. This pilot project would be India's first public deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles.

The green hydrogen Blending Pilot Facility at NTPC Kawas Township will be India's first green hydrogen blending project, assisting in the reduction of natural gas use.

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