The Kerala State Electricity Board’s decision to launch the floating solar power plant project in the Banasurasagar reservoir is a dream come true for Ajay Thomas and V.M. Sudhin, the young engineering graduates who developed the indigenous technology for the project.
“It took us about three-and-a-half years to develop the concrete floating solar power plant technology. It cost nearly Rs.20 lakh, of which Rs.15 lakh was provided by the KSEB under its Open Innovation Zone,’’ says Mr. Thomas, the master brain of the project.
Mr. Thomas had developed the basic design of the floating solar power plant suitable for Indian weather and reservoir conditions during the final year of his B.Tech. at Government Engineering College, Wayanad, (GECW). He approached the Startup Village as well as KSEB with his fledgling idea, and the project was picked for funding under the KSEB’s Open Innovation Zone scheme.
Private company
Mr. Sudhin joined him later, and the duo redesigned it to optimize technology. Later they set up a private limited company, Vatsaa Energy Pvt. Ltd, at the Technology Business Incubation Centre of the GECW for getting the idea off the blocks. While developing the system further, they secured assistance from M.R. Narayanan, Chairman, Adtech Systems, a Thiruvananthapuram-based company into renewable energy systems.
Soon they installed the 10-kW floating solar power unit, a 1,200-sqft floating plant that can carry a load of 45 tonnes in the Banasurasagar dam. They claim it is the first concrete based floating power plant in the world.
“We have optimized the system to withstand the worst possible site conditions in Indian dam reservoirs, such as heavy wind, wave, rain, and water level variations.
