The largest floating solar power plant in India has been erected and is being operated at the Singareni thermal power plant in Mancherial, according to Hyderabad-based Novus Green Energy Systems Ltd. Even though the plant has a total capacity of 15 MW (AC) and 19.5 MW (DC), only phase 1 has been operationally commissioned, with a capacity of 5 MW (AC) and
6.5 MW (DC). Through an electronic bidding process, Singareni Collieries selected the consortium led by Novus Green Energy as the project winner. The solar modules are the first of their kind to be manufactured and used at this scale in India, said Novus Green Energy, adding that these modules, manufactured by it under 'Make in India', are more efficient than traditional solar modules. Novus Green Energy MD Anshuman Yenigalla said the end-to-end manufacturing and execution were done in-house and the overall design was vetted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
The remaining 10MW (AC) and 13.5MW (DC) will be put into service in the next months, according to Naveen Vunnam, CEO of consortium partner Ilios Power, because the technology has been completely tested on the ground and the implementation process has been expedited. The design and manufacture of the floating boards by the Indian business FloatVolt, which had to complete all testing requirements and instal the frameless glass-to-glass modules onto the float boards, was one of the project's hurdles.
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