Tata Power Solar has launched India’s largest floating solar power project in Kayamkulam, Kerala on a 350-acre water body, backwaters area, having an installed capacity of 101.6 Megawatt Peak.
Despite various problems of fluctuating water depths, strong sea tides and serious water salinity concerns faced throughout the project’s construction phase, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power completed the installation within the allotted time.
In order to make the complete solar plant float on water, Tata Power Solar constructed a scaffolding platform on the water body. The Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) through Power Purchase Agreement project is the first of its kind. This facility boasts a platform for floating inverters with a 5 Megawatt (MW) capacity.
With a Commercial Operation Date (CoD) certification, which indicates that the project has been deemed complete and operational, this 101.6 MWp capacity solar plant’s large-scale installation and commissioning were the fastest in the FSPV category.
The Central Monitoring and Control Stations (CMCS) and the 33/220 kilovolts switchyard are supported by 134 cast pile foundations that are bored to a depth of 20 metres underwater and used to anchor the entire project to the waterbed of the Kerala backwater. All of this was accomplished by underwater soil strata dredging, where high groundwater levels also served as a barrier.
The solar modules were subjected to strong gusts and gushing tides that frequently reached a height of roughly 3.5 metres while being hauled for 3 kilometres on a sea-linked National waterway that was 15 metres deep. Tata Power Solar’s execution team was successful in synchronising the 33/220 Kilovolts Air Insulated Substation (AIS) with the 220 Kilovolts Existing Gas Insulated Substation to operationalize the project (GIS).
Speaking about this remarkable feat, Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO, and MD, Tata Power, said, “The commissioning of India’s first and largest floating solar project is an innovative and incremental step toward meeting India’s sustainable energy goals. We are incredibly proud of our team’s unrelenting efforts in delivering this unique solar project that floats atop a large waterbody.”
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