Kamuthi Solar Power Project

Photovoltaic power station in Tamil Nadu, India

9°20′51″N 78°23′32″E / 9.347568°N 78.392162°E / 9.347568; 78.392162StatusOperationalConstruction beganFebruary 2016Commission dateMarch 2017; 7 years ago (March 2017)Construction cost₹4,550 crore (equivalent to ₹64 billion or US$800 million in 2023)Owner(s)Adani Green EnergySolar farm TypeFlat-panel PVSite resourceappr 2100 kWh/(m2*yr)Site area2,500 acres (1,000 ha)Power generationNameplate capacity648 MWpCapacity factor24 %Annual net outputAppr. 1.35 TWh/yrExternal linksCommonsRelated media on Commons
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Kamuthi Solar Power Project is a photovoltaic power station spread over an area of 2,500 acres (10 km2) in Kamuthi, Ramanathapuram district, 90 km from Madurai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.[1] The project was commissioned by Adani Power.[2] With a generating capacity of 648 MWp at a single location, it is the world's 12th largest solar park based on capacity.[3][4]

ABB commissioned five sub-stations to connect the solar park with the National Grid on 13 June 2016.[5][6] The Kamuthi Solar Power Project was completed on 21 September 2016 with an investment of around ₹4,550 crore (equivalent to ₹65 billion or US$820 million in 2023).[7] The solar plant consists of 2.5 million solar modules, 380,000 foundations, 27,000 metres of structures, 576 inverters, 154 transformers, and almost 6,000 km of cables.[8][9] Construction of the structures needed to mount the solar panels required 30,000 tonnes of galvanised steel.[10] Around 8,500 workers installed an average of 11 MW of capacity per day to complete the project within 8 months.[11][12]

The entire solar park is connected to a 400 kV substation of the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corp.[13] The solar panels are cleaned daily by a self-charged robotic system.[14]

Given the solar resource of around 2100 kWh/(m2*yr) an annual generation of 1.35 TWh/yr may be possible.[15] This corresponds to a capacity factor (or average power) of 24% of the peak capacity 648 MWp. Assuming a technical life time of 25 years the investment cost is 700 MUSD/(25*1.35 TWh) = 2 US cent/kWh.

Controversy

The plant relies on approximately 200,000 liters of water to keep its 25,000 modules clean each day, which has apparently been sourced from borewells nearby without consent of the respective district authority.[16]

See also

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References

  1. ^ "India Builds World's Largest Solar Power Plant, Covering 2,500 Acres". CleanTechnica. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  2. ^ PTI (15 March 2015). "Adani plans 1,000MW solar power plant at Ramanathapuram". Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  3. ^ "World's largest solar project starts feeding electricity into national grid". Uniindia.com. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  4. ^ "India unveils the world's largest solar power plant". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  5. ^ PTI. "ABB links 648 MW solar project at Kamuthi with national grid". Economic Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ "ABB connects power to the Indian grid from one of the world's largest solar plants". Abb.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Adani Group launches world's largest solar power plant in Tamil Nadu - Times of India". Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Adani dedicates to nation world's largest solar power plant in TN : The Hindu Business Line - Mobile edition". M.thehindubusinessline.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  9. ^ The Hindu Business Line. "CDM: Adani dedicates to nation world's largest solar power plant in TN". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Kamuthi Solar Power Plant in India is now operational". Alternative energy news and resources updated daily. 29 November 2016. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Gautam Adani unveils world's largest solar power plant in Tamil Nadu". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  12. ^ Bhattacharya, Ananya. "India built the world's largest solar plant in record time". Quartz. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  13. ^ Livemint. "CDM: Adani unveils world's largest solar plant in Tamil Nadu". Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  14. ^ "World's largest solar power plant unveiled in Tamil Nadu". The Indian Express. 30 November 2016. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  15. ^ "India Solar Resource - Global Horizontal Irradiance - Annual Average, by NREL, National Renewable Energy Laboratory". Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  16. ^ Rajeskaran, R. K. (6 June 2017). "Adani solar plant guzzles illegal fresh water in drought-hit Tamil Nadu". New Indian Express.
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