Kolkata :
The country will get its first floating solar power plant on January 5.
The unit, which will generate 10KW solar power every day, will be inaugurated at Rajarhat New Town. State power minister Manish Gupta will inaugurate the floating solar power plant installed on a waterbody near Eco Park in New Town.
The floating solar power plant has been jointly set up by the Arka-Ignou Community College of Renewable Energy, headed by solar power expert S P Gon Chaudhuri, and the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA).
The power that will be put into the grid through marine cables will light up several areas in Eco Park and its surroundings.
Gon Chaudhuri, who is a former managing director of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) and West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC), said the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) had earlier sanctioned a grant of Rs 20 lakh to the authorities as a research component and another Rs 15 lakh for developing and installing the solar panels. The panels have already been installed and are now ready to generate power.
“Already, engineers from different parts of the country are coming to have a look. A team of experts is coming from Lakshadweep soon to take a look at the project as a similar project will be taken up there,” Gon Chaudhuri, who was also the former adviser to the state power department, said.
Gon Chaudhuri also said that that it was around one and a half years ago that he first thought about developing a floating solar panel.
“Land is required for setting up any power plant, but a floating solar panel doesn’t require any land, since it is set up on a waterbody. Only Japan and Australia have developed floating solar power plants so far,” he added. “I gave a proposal to the Centre that developing such floating solar panels has its own benefits since it will not only generate pollution-free solar power, but also help emit less carbon dioxide. Once this floating solar panel is inaugurated and starts generation, we will conduct further research on this,” Gon Chaudhuri said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Suman Chakraborti, TNN / December 22nd, 2014