India’s Kamuthi Solar Power Plant Smashes Records

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Increasing interest in solar energy across the globe has recently seen the completion of some of the largest solar energy parks and farms ever designed. For many countries the driving force behind the establishment of these solar energy facilities has been an effort to cut down on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels such as coal used in power stations. For countries like China and India the use of these fuels has caused enormous environmental damage and increasingly dire situation as far as air quality is concerned.

One of these mega projects that has recently been completed is the Kamuthi Solar Power Plant in India.

The scale of the project is breathtaking.

The plant which is in the state of Tamil Nadu covers an area of nearly 4 square miles. The output of the plant is also in keeping with its sheer size – it produces enough power to support 150,000 American type homes – 648 megawatts in total. The project produces 100 megawatts more than the Topaz Solar Farm in California which for many years held top honors as the largest in the world.

Everything about the project staggers the imagination. The cost alone was $679 million. The specifications of the equipment that is sued to keep the project producing energy is larger than life size. It required the sinking of 380,000 foundations and boasts a staggering two and a half million solar panels. The energy produced is harnessed by nearly 600 inverters and 154 transformers.

It’s not only the sheer scale of the project that is fascinating. Some of the technology being employed to keep it operational reads like something out of a science fiction novel. Take for instance the robotic cleaning system that keeps the panels clean and operating at maximum efficiency. this system is completely autonomous – and is also powered by solar energy.

The speed at which the plant was completed is also a source of wonder. The Topaz facility in California took two full years to complete. Although the Kamuthi plant is larger it was completed in a record 8 months. The Topaz plant also cost around $2.5 billion to bring online – Kamuthi with its bargain basement price of $679 million seems a bargain in comparison.

India is completely committed to increasing its use of renewable energy and the government is currently in the process of raising around $1 trillion to ensure that the country reduces its reliance on fossil fuels which is currently wreaking havoc with the environment.

Andhra Pradesh will be the focal point for further solar parks that will be even larger than the Kamuthi plant. The planning process for these additional plants is already well advanced and will see India maintaining its current position as one of the leading countries in the world when it comes to harnessing the power of solar energy.

India is fast approaching third spot behind China and the United Sates of America as leaders in the production of solar power.

The urgency of the roll out of further products was brought into sharp focus when analysis of the air quality of New Delhi was analyzed by the U.S. consulate and found to be well above what their analysts classify as ‘hazardous.’ The cost of the air pollution – both in terms of the effect of the quality of life and health of Indian citizens and the loss of productivity is difficult to quantify – but it is having a material impact on the development of the country.

Projects like Kamuthi will see India wean itself from it dependency on coal and remain a leading light in the use of solar.

Ranking Solar Energy By Country – The Top 5

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As the world begins to realize that the impact of fossil fuels is having disastrous effects on the environment and leading to accelerating climate change there has been a renewed interest in the energy supplied from renewable sources – and included in this mix is solar energy

It is not only climate change that is spurring the move towards solar. In countries such as India and China major cities are having to cope with increasing levels of air pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels. This pollution is causing medical conditions such as asthma and other respiratory problems to skyrocket. Not only does this affect the health of individuals, but also has severe effects on productivity and harms the economic growth of countries.

So for many nations the need to install solar power generation is one that is coming more and more urgent.

Taking this into account which are the top 5 nations where solar power is being installed at a breakneck pace?

The first one the list is China. For many years China has been at the forefront of developing solar technology – but it was not until recently that it began developing solar farms and parks to power its own growing economy.

The country installed solar infrastructure supplying 78 GW of electricity in 2016 and rapidly followed up with 35 GW in 2017 – with much more in the pipeline. Astonishingly the is more than the entire world had up and running in 2014.

Japan has been slow in coming to the solar power party but has steadily increased its capacity and now is in second spot behind China. Japan now generates 42.8 GW of power from solar installations. The nature of Japan’s installations is different from other countries due to space restrictions and much of the growth has come from installations on home rooftops. However, Japan’s spot at number two might not last – installations have slowed recently and changes in the tariff structure might slow new installations considerably.

At number three we find Germany which has long been recognized as one of the pioneers in the installation of solar power generation facilities. By the end of 2016 the country had a generation capacity of around 41.2 GW. But as is the case with Japan installation has slowed and the country may not be one of the top 5 for very long.

At position number 4 is the United States. This country has the potential to get to top spot and maintain its position – and as the world’s largest consumer of energy it has the motivation to take solar to the next level. It also has huge amounts of space that are ideal for the establishment of solar farms. Areas like the Mojave Desert are perfect for the development of enormous arrays of solar panels. The country generates 40.3 GW of electricity at the moment. However there are plans to develop mega projects to up this significantly.

Number five might be surprising – Italy which was generating 19.3 GW at the end of 2016 – but continues to add capacity on a regular basis. The importance of solar in Italy is abundantly clear when one realizes that the country generates 7.3 percent of its energy needs via solar energy installations – more than any other country on this list. The country is relatively small so it is possible that Italy will slowly but surely move to a situation where solar energy dominates its energy mix.

Solar is here to stay and these countries are leading the way towards a brighter – and greener future.