Govt identifies 102 GW floating solar potential; eyes new support measures

Centre to focus on floating solar and agri-photovoltaics, while preparing support schemes and expanding solar deployment beyond traditional renewable energy hubs

India has a total potential of 102 GW of floating solar across states, according to the report on Floating Solar PV Potential Assessment of India, which was released on Wednesday by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi.

 

“India’s floating solar has a potential of 102 GW. It has been presented today after a lot of study done by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE),” Joshi said at an event here.

 

Speaking at the same event, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said that apart from the deserts and barren lands of Rajasthan, there is a need to look at the potential for increasing solar deployment in other states. "In this, floating solar and agri-photovoltaics, where farming can happen along with photovoltaic installation, are going to play a critical role in the next couple of years,” he said.

   

The ministry will focus on these two areas in the future, he added. “We have been in the process of preparing schemes to support floating solar and agri-photovoltaics, and we are in discussion with the finance ministry to come up with similar schemes which will have a catalytic impact in promoting them in different states,” he said.

 

The event also marked the launch of an online portal for small hydropower (SHP). “Through the portal, applications will be collected and the entire processing of the application, including disbursement, will happen. This will also help us in monitoring projects in a much better manner. We have also kept strict timelines of four years for SHP projects, compared with seven to eight years earlier,” Sarangi said.

 

In a related development, Military Engineering Services (MES) under the defence ministry also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NISE for solarisation in the defence sector. “The MoU being signed today will enable support in areas such as planning, designing, tendering, project execution, quality assurance and performance optimisation of the various solar projects that we envisage in the future,” said Major General Manoj Oommen, Director General (Works), MES.

 

Sarangi informed that the Border Security Force (BSF) has approached the ministry to help it solarise its border camps. He said the deployment of solar power along with battery energy storage systems on a much larger scale in border areas would reduce current expenditure.