Internal opposition hampers KSEB's floating solar panel project on dams

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The plan to generate electricity by installing floating solar panels on dams has encountered opposition within the KSEB.

Initially, the project aimed to install floating solar panels on 10 dams, following the model of the National Floating Solar Project introduced by the Central Government in 2021. The selected dams included Ponmudi, Kallarkutty, Senkulam, Kallar, Kundala, Mattupetty, Anayirangal, Aruvikkara, Peppara and Banasura Sagar, with a targeted capacity of 100 to 400 MW. In December 2021, international tenders were issued for the design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) method. The contract required the selected firms to cover the installation costs and generate electricity, estimated at 800 crores. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) would purchase the power, and after 25 years, the plants were to be handed over to KSEB. Companies like Tatapower, Adanipower, NTPC, KMRL and Inox Renewable Energy submitted tenders.

However, KSEB raised objections to two conditions in the tender: purchasing electricity at Rs 4.10 and granting a 25-year operating license to the contractors, which was seen as potentially relinquishing control of the dams. Some KSEB organizations also criticized the environmental impact of solar panels on dams. Following revisions to the conditions and intervention by the Chief Minister in January 2022, an investment meeting was held in Muscat, but no interest was shown. Consequently, the project was not implemented and instead, KSEB installed a small 500 KW solar plant at Banasurasagar.

Despite the potential benefits outlined in a 2020 report by the Energy and Resources Institute, which stated that the country's 18,000 square kilometers of reservoirs could generate 280 GW of solar energy with no adverse environmental impact, Kerala has not pursued the initiative. Floating solar panels are known to provide shading to water bodies, reducing evaporation and proving more effective in drought-prone areas. Moreover, using reservoir water for module cleaning reduces maintenance costs. Nonetheless, while several states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh have implemented similar projects, Kerala remains hesitant.