Hindustan Zinc’s Pilot Floating Solar Plant Expected in 2-3 Months

Hindustan Zinc, a group firm of the Vedanta Group, is close to achieving commissioning on its very first floating solar power plant.

In an investor brief, the Vedanta said it is focussing on renewable energy and its group firm Hindustan Zinc plans its “first pilot floating solar to be completed in next 2-3 months.” The plant will be located at Ghosunda Dam, near Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.

Arun Vijayakumar, Director Projects, Hindustan Zinc Limited said, “Hindustan Zinc Limited has always contributed to Indian green energy shift and Floating Solar plant is one such initiative. When we decided to take our first step towards an innovative solar installation, we thought it best to award the job to one of the established solution providers. We are hopeful of successful completion of the project by Vikram Solar Limited and we look forward to strengthening our business relation.”

Earlier in February, Vikram Solar, a leading domestic module manufacturer and solar & EPC solutions provider had announced that it has bagged the project order for a 1 MW Floating solar plant from Hindustan Zinc Limited. 

The floating plant will contribute to saving water evaporation loss, thus resulting in conservation of water, reduce the development of algae, maintaining the cleanliness of the water, and obviously land.

Ravindra Goyal, Head- EPC Sales, Vikram Solar, said on the occasion, “We are honoured to be chosen by Hindustan Zinc Limited to execute this project. As a leading solar EPC player, it is our pleasure to once again contribute to the Indian solar revolution in a pioneering way. We congratulate Hindustan Zinc Limited for taking a step towards green energy transition and we look forward to participating in more such innovative projects in the country.

The installation will use Vikram Solar’s 330 Wp 72-cell ELDORA Polycrystalline modules. And, is expected to be commissioned by July 2019. The solar plant is expected to have an energy yield of 1993 MWh/Year, enough to power close to 1400 houses per year.

Floating solar plants are just making their presence felt in India, and data on long term performance remains sketchy at this stage. Besides a 2 MW plant in Visakhapatnam recently, tenders for some bigger projects on the Rihand Dam, for instance, are still stuck, but from all indications, floating solar is firmly on the radar of the government for serious consideration where possible.