From pv magazine India
Ciel & Terre, a France-based floating PV solutions supplier, has announced the completion of a 120 MWp floating solar array at Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh – its largest project in India. It developed the project in collaboration with L&T and SJVN Green Energy Ltd. to generate power for Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd. (RUMSL).
The floating solar plant, built on the freshwater reservoir of Omkareshwar Dam, spans 20% (210 acres) of the total 1060-acre water surface. It is expected to help offset more than 1,13,406 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
The installation features 407,699 Hydrelio floats (aiR OPTIM 1400-3 model) in a three-row setup. The plant comprises 14 individual islands, each with a capacity of 8.5 MWp.
Ciel & Terre used its newly developed “rock bolt anchoring” technique to handle the hard rock surface. It also deployed a customized floating inverter barge based on reinforced fiberglass polymer.
“The fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) barge is approved for deployment on rivers and lakes and can carry over 40 tons, which is ideal for power transformers, inverters and switchgears,” said Ciel & Terre. “It offers a 50% higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel while being 30% lighter and costing less.”
The floating system is built using spin welding to ensure leak-proof joints. The technology accommodates the thermal expansion of floats during high temperatures to prevent water ingress and cracks in the float.
“Various challenges were faced during this project, such as torrential rain, floods, moderate winds to gusty winds, waves and weathered rock surfaces,” said Deepak Ushadevi, Ciel Et Terre India’s managing director and chief executive officer. “We found solutions, adjusted and conserved each time. This experience not only strengthened our team but also enhanced our ability to deliver bigger and complex projects with even greater efficiency and bold innovations.”
Ciel & Terre has completed more than 10 projects in India with cumulative capacity of 425+ MWp. Globally, it has commissioned more than 325 projects in over 30 countries with 3.2 GWp of cumulative installed capacity and other projects under various stages of development.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.