Kerala went through the deadliest calamity in 90 years owing to heavy downpour and flash flood. Almost everything was taken aback by the flood that paralysed the normal life. With more than Rs. 20,000 crore loss, the state was in the receiving end but thanks to the neighbouring state people who stepped forward to do their bit for the flood relief work, restoring a faith in humanity.
If there was one thing that survived against the calamity, it was the solar power plant. The plant was constructed in such a way that it would survive even the deadliest flood. Thanks to the engineers who formulated the plan right from the scratch and crafted the plant quite amazingly.
KSEB officials added that though they worried about the 500 kWp (kilowatt peak) project floating on 1.25 acres of water surface of the reservoir with possibilities of getting submerged owing to the presence of strong waves in the reservoir but the entire structure showed it’s physicality as it stood its ground and continue to generate electricity.
“We had real concern about the floating solar plant as the waves were as high as 40-50cm, especially on August 8 and 9. But the floating structures have withstood the fury,” said P Manoharan, assistant executive engineer (research and dam safety sub-division) at Banasura Sagar.
“The project was designed to withstand the water level variation of up to 20 metres between summer and monsoon in the reservoir. But with the heavy inflow of water to the reservoir, the variation level was up by around four feet above the design parameters. But the system withstood the severe conditions,” said Adtech Systems chairman M R Narayanan.
“We are now planning to try them out in the islands, especially near Lakshadweep and Andaman Islands which are mostly relying on costly diesel generated power as the design has proved it can withstand severe conditions, even in sea surface,” he added.
The KSEB’s floating solar plant at Banasura was deemed as the largest floating solar power plant in India until August 23 when the 2MW floating solar project commissioned in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh displaced it to hog the limelight.
What is Solar Power & it’s technology?
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity. Solar Energy techniques came to light in 2006 and it is now slowly reaching out to all parts of the world. Since solar panels are a one-time investment with a guaranteed life of 25 years, ‘solar energy’ could make a huge difference in people’s lives in the times to come.
Talking about the virtual importance of solar technology in India, we have witnessed more of them in key places. Solar panels are installed in apartments, houses, offices, stadium, railway station and now it’s being implemented on trains as well. Thanks to the Indian government for taking the right step.
