RANCHI: Jharkhand is all set to get the country’s largest floating solar power plant (FSPP), with a capacity to generate 150 MW. In Jharkhand, 15 of the 24 district courts use solar power for lighting, and 1,380 KW of solar power is produced in districts which have been facing power cuts throughout the year.
“As per the estimate, it will cost around 600 crore in installing solar panels in the two dams, which will provide employment to around 1000 people,” Jharkhand Urja Vitaran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) Managing Director Rahul Purwar said.
The project will be completed jointly by the World Bank and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), while JBVNL will coordinate between the two.
“Floating power plants at Getalsood and Dhurwa dams will be installed very soon by Solar Energy Corporation of India and World Bank, having a total capacity of 150 MW, and the production is likely to be started by July next year,” said a JBVNL official, requesting anonymity.
Solar panels will be installed over 1.6 square km in Getalsood and 0.8 square km in Dhurwa Dam, he added.
Officials said FSPPs were more efficient than land-based panels due to natural cooling of the solar panels by the water in the reservoir, increasing power generation by 5-10 per cent.