Andhra Pradesh gets a new floating solar power plant on Meghadri Gedda reservoir

Published: 28th Jul, 2022

Context

A floating solar power plant commissioned at Meghadri Gedda reservoir in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam.

About

Key points

Renewable energy plant: It can save coal up to 54000 tonnes per year.
Capacity: It will produce about 2 million unitsof power each year.
Developing entity: Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC)
Significance:
- No need for land acquisition
- Low-cost energy production
- Promotion of renewable energy resources

What are Solar Technologies?

Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation.
This energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or thermal storage.

Types of Solar plants in India

Solar plants can be either;
Ground-mountedor
Set up on the surface of water-bodies or
Though these floating farms are a bit more expensive than the traditional ones mounted on land surfaces.

Pros

Cons

Solar panel needs to be prevented from corrosion.

Reduced shelf-life for metal parts used.

Higher cost of installation.

Needs more maintenance

May lead to water pollution

Common Uses of Solar energy

Some other to be commissioned power plants

The renewable energy plants that are likely to be are:

Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD)

It is a set of technologies used to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants.
It also removes emissions of other sulfur oxide emitting processes such as waste incineration.
flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) may remove 90 per cent or more of the SO2 in the flue gases
Common methods used for FGD
Wet scrubbing using a slurry of alkaline sorbent, usually limestone or lime, or seawater to scrub gases
Spray-dry scrubbing using similar sorbent slurries
Wet sulfuric acid process recovering sulfur in the form of commercial quality sulfuric acid
SNOX Flue gas desulfurization removes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates from flue gases
Dry sorbent injection systems that introduce powdered hydrated lime (or other sorbent material) into exhaust ducts to eliminate SO2 and SO3 from process emissions

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