Overview Tata Power is joining hands with the Sunengy Pty Ltd, an Australian solar power company to set up India’s first floating solar plant. It would be a low cost plant as the economic floating solar technology invented by Sunengy is going to be used. According to Mr.Banmali Agrawala, the executive director of Tata Power, India’s private electrical utility provider, Tata Power plans to set this floating solar unit on water that in the company’s quest for providing sustainable energy that is also eco-friendly. As this would be set on water surface land competition can be reduced considerably and it can be used for other purposes. Technology in Use According to Mr.Phil Connor, executive director and chief technology officer of Sunengy, this plant would be built using their patented Liquid Solar Array (LSA) technology. LSA technology works by converting a large water source like a dam into a battery that can store solar energy. Such a setup would be a better method of water management and does not require acquisition of vast land. Basically concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology will be used to make the solar cells floating on water. This floating reduces the cost of mounting solar cells on costly and strong supporting structures. This also makes the structure cyclone proof. Thus a lens and an array of solar cells would track sunlight throughout the day. In bad weather conditions the lens and cells would get submerged under water. However, this cooling would increase the life and efficiency of the cells and the lens. Future of LSA LSA is a patented technology of Sunengy and is being used to fulfill the requirements of inventing alternative sources of energy. According to Mr.Connor, hydropower can supply around 87% of renewable energy of the world by using only 10% of the surface area of the water resources. He has also affirmed that by just using 1% of its 30,000sq.km of captured water, India can produce power which would be equivalent to the power generated by 15 large coal powered stations. Though LSA is currently used for generating hydroelectric power, it would be innovatively modified in the near future. The future modifications would aim to generate energy at different sites so that it can be used in mining sites, remote communities and villages. This would be an effective alternative to the diesel generators that are being used extensively these days. Progress of Plant Works The pilot plant in India would be commenced only in August 2011. Meanwhile, Sunengy would establish a larger LSA in the NSW Hunter Valley by mid 2012. Tests for the Indian units would be done at the CSIRO Energy Center in New Castle, New South Wales, Australia. Thus by setting such a low cost solar plant, Tata Power can make a breakthrough by providing power at a reduced cost. The success of this plant can certainly be an eye-opener for using solar power extensively. References: TheHinduBusinessLine, EfyTimes
