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Relevance: GS-III (Environment & Renewable Energy) | Source: The Hindu
The News: Finding massive plots of land for solar parks is getting harder and more expensive in India. Canal-Top Photovoltaics (CTPV)—building solar panels on steel frames directly over water canals—offers a smart way to generate green power without wasting an inch of usable land.
1. The Double Benefit: Energy and Water
CTPV solves two of India’s biggest challenges simultaneously: land scarcity and water evaporation.
- Zero Land Needed: Instead of buying up precious farmland, panels are mounted over existing canals. A 20 MW project in Punjab saved nearly 100 acres of land.
- Saving Water: The panels act as a giant sunshade. A 1 MW system over the Narmada Canal in Gujarat prevents about 9 million litres of water from evaporating yearly.
- Natural Cooling: Solar panels lose efficiency when they overheat. The flowing water naturally cools the panels from below, making them generate more electricity than standard ground-mounted panels baking in the sun.
2. The Main Roadblocks
- High Setup Cost: Building heavy steel bridges over 30-meter-wide canals is much more expensive than placing panels on the dirt.
- Hard to Maintain: Cleaning and repairing panels suspended high over flowing water is physically difficult for workers.
- Wiring Issues: Canals zigzag through remote rural areas, meaning they don’t always line up neatly with existing electrical substations, increasing wiring and transmission costs.
Practice MCQ
Q. Consider the following statements regarding solar energy infrastructure in India:
- Canal-Top Photovoltaics (CTPV) tend to have lower operational efficiency than ground-mounted panels due to the humidity generated by the canal.
- Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is a mechanism used by the government to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but financially unviable.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Hint: Statement 1 is incorrect because CTPV panels actually have higher efficiency. The flowing water creates a cooling effect that prevents the panels from overheating. Statement 2 correctly defines VGF.
Hint: Statement 1 is incorrect because CTPV panels actually have higher efficiency. The flowing water creates a cooling effect that prevents the panels from overheating. Statement 2 correctly defines VGF.
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