A floating solar power plant which will produce 500 kilowatts peak (kWp) of power is set to come up at the Dhanas Lake within the next few months. The project was approved at a meeting of the executive committee of Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) held on Friday by the UT finance secretary.
The power will be used by the UT forests and wildlife department for their activities. Discussing the project, CREST CEO Debendra Dalai, said, “It should take around five months to complete the project at a cost of around ₹3 crore. We also plan to use around 90 kWp to power a fountain that will be set up at the lake to attract visitors.”
Dalai added that setting up a solar power plant on a water body helps keep it cool and leads to higher efficiency. “Ordinarily, 1 kWp from a solar power plant can produce around 1,300 units of electricity, but when it is set up on a water body, it can produce around 1,400 units.”
