Pilot Project on Canal Top Solar Power Plants.

The Odisha Government has hit upon an innovative idea to generate solar energy by tapping its large canal network. Two of its agencies are working out a model under which canal tops can be used for installation of solar power plants.

The Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) and Water Resources Department are looking to start a pilot project over a 10 km stretch of canals to study the feasibility of the idea.

Canal stretches which will be favourable for installation of the plants are being explored as part of the plan. All the Chief Engineers have been asked to assess their jurisdiction and send across proposals basing on which the pilot canal stretches will be identified.

Superintending Engineer (Monitoring and Evaluation) of Water Resources Department Prakash Kumar Nanda said the move came from OPGC which has necessary expertise to install solar power plants and execute the project.

'We are looking at only big canals with 10 metre width so that the power generation can be efficient and maintenance is easy. The minimum length of a stretch will have to be 750 metre to qualify for the pilot project,' he said.

There are also technical specifications such as east-west alignment of the canals and their embankments should not have tree canopy.

Nanda said the canal top solar power plants are feasible since they do not require dedicated land which such projects necessitate in good measures. Besides, the canal top solar panels will arrest water evaporation which will benefit the farmers.

Since the project is now at an investigation stage, the two agencies are yet to calculate the exact cost it may entail. If successfully started, Nanda said such plants can not only contribute to power generation without any environment cost, they will also help power crisis in the rural areas where the canal networks are primarily located. “These plants may be connected to the grids and meet the energy requirement in the hinterland,” Nanda said.

Odisha, which is yet to explore solar power generation in a big way, has a great potential in the sector. According to NASA, all the districts of the State have a solar radiation of 5.5 kwh (kilo watt hour) per square kilometre with 300 sunny days a year.

The State has potential to generate about 8,000 mega watt power in the solar photovoltaic route.


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