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Canal Top Solar PV Plant in Gujarat: A Unique Nexus of Energy, Land and
Water

Article · August 2016

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 RE Feature

Canal Top Solar PV Plant in Gujarat

A Unique Nexus of Energy, Land, and Water
The state of Gujarat has made great strides in harnessing
the tremendous potential of solar energy through the path-
breaking concept of installing solar photovoltaic panels on
canal top to generate environment-friendly power. Through this
article, Om Shukla, Dr Sagarkumar M Agravat, Bela B Jani,
Narayani Srivastava, and Gurdeep Singh, describe in detail
the conception, implementation, and methodology behind this
canal top solar PV plant in Gujarat.

I
ndia, a country with an ever-
increasing population (over 1.2
billion as per Census 2015) and
need for energy is faced with the
enormous challenge to produce
energy with efficient utilization of
available resources. In this context,
the state of Gujarat came up with an
innovative and cost-effective solution
to utilize the existing irrigation canals
to mount and produce solar energy.
According to the Central Electricity
Authority of India, the average
requirement of energy per capita in
India is 1,010 kWh. Despite the fact
that the per capita energy demand
is the lowest in the world, there is
a substantial need to increase the
energy generation as India is emerging
as one of the leading manufacturing
nations in the world. India recognizes
the need for producing clean energy
and for this reason, several policies
have been enforced. Currently, over
70 per cent of the country’s electricity
is generated from fossil fuels, but
as per the draft National Renewable
Energy Act, the government has a
target 175 GW through renewable
resources by 2022. The proposed
act also takes into account the
provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003,
Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation
and Resettlement Act, 2013, and
Environment Protection Act, 1986,
to address the issues of environment

20 | Akshay Urja | August 2016


protection and rehabilitation due to
renewable energy installations.
It is for this reason that renewable
energy utilization, particularly solar
energy, is being enthusiastically
enforced in India. However, land
is a precious commodity for India.
Justifying the use of land to set up
solar plants, which can be used
for habitation, cultivation, and
manufacturing, is a tough proposition.
India has aggressive target to achieve
100 GW of installed capacity of solar
PV plant by the year 2022. If all the
plants are installed at one place,
the land occupied shall be 1.5 times
more than that of the state of Delhi.
A key challenge under Smart City
Programme is to generate solar
energy from barren landmass or
through rooftops, a requirement
which is difficult to accommodate in
metropolitan and other large cities.
Taking into account the country’s
large irrigation canal network, the
Government of Gujarat put forth the
concept of construction of solar PV
plant on canal top and created the
first pilot demonstration project near
Sanand, Gujarat, in 2012 (Picture 1).
Engineering Marvel
Constructing large structures without
damaging the canal and its function
became a challenging task. The
width of the canal bed was about
4 m and the canal bank was over
6 m wide. However, to provide an
exemplary structure design, which
could be easily replicated in the
future, a structure of 16 m width was
designed so as to fit on any large
canal. The manufacturing of the
structure also posed several problems.
Construction of a structure in the
middle of the flow path of the canal
would have obstructed the flow of
water significantly. Thus, the structure
was designed with only end supports.
Although this design increased the
cost of the project, it resulted in a
design which could be replicated in
the future for canals facing water
flow problems. Galvanization of the
Picture 1: World’s first demonstration of canal top solar PV plant at Chandrasan, Gujarat
large structures was also a major
practical concern for manufacturing.
The mounting structure also created
a region of high air flow below it,
similar to a wind tunnel. To reduce
the chances of damage to the
structure owing to high wind speeds,
the concept of a wind breaker was
introduced. This significantly reduces
the wind speed, thus preventing
damage to the structure.
Superior Performance
Solar cells give out a lower voltage
output when they are subjected to
heating. Typically, this results in solar
PV plants losing 10–15 per cent of
the available energy on an annual
average basis. These losses result in
the loss of final power of up to 8 per
cent annually. It was observed that
the solar cells mounted on the canal
top were cooler than their land-based
counterparts. This resulted in the cells
with an average temperature which
was cooler by 10 per cent. Due to this,
the energy generated by the plant was
significantly higher than a ground-
mounted solar PV plant. The plant
has offered capacity utilization factor
(CUF) of around 17.71 per cent which
is almost constant since its inception.
In addition, the canal mounted
solar plant also had lower panel
degradation as compared to a
traditional ground mounted solar
panel system. Typically for ground
Canal Top Solar PV Plant in Gujarat
A key challenge under
smart city programme is
to generate solar energy
from barren landmass
or through rooftops, a
requirement which is
difficult to accommodate
in metropolitan and other
large cities.Taking into
account the country’s large
irrigation canal network,
the government of Gujarat
put forth the concept of
construction of solar PV plant
on canal top and created
the first pilot demonstration
project near Sanand, Gujarat,
in 2012.
mounted PV panels, the power output
decreases by 1 per cent on a flat basis
for the first 10 years. Contrary to this,
a recent study conducted by Gujarat
Energy Research and Management
Institute (GERMI) establishes stable
generation even after three and
a half years of sunlight exposure
and continuous operation. This is a
significant feat which would allow the
canal mounted solar panels to have a
life expectancy beyond 25 years.
It, thus, becomes evidently clear that
August 2016 | Akshay Urja | 21
 RE Feature
with the use of a canal mounted solar
PV plant—long-term financial benefits
are possible. This, in turn, would allow
allocation of more resources for
setting up similar projects.
Saving of Resources
With the increasing population
also comes the need to address
the problem of water security.
For a country relying primarily on
monsoon to deliver the annual
Typically for ground mounted
PV panels, the power output
decreases by 1 per cent on
a flat basis for the first 10
years. Contrary to this, a
recent study conducted by
Gujarat Energy Research
and Management Institute
(GERMI) establishes stable
generation even after three
and a half years of sunlight
exposure and continuous
operation. This is a significant
feat which would allow the
canal mounted solar panels
to have a life expectancy
beyond 25 years.
22 | Akshay Urja | August 2016
water supply, it becomes an issue of
pivotal importance. The solar panels
mounted on the canal top block the
radiation of the sun, thus helping to
keep the water in shade. This reduces
the evaporation of the water in the
canal. According to conservative
estimates, a 1 MW plant can save 9
million litres of water per year. As
the area covered by the solar panels
increases, a large quantity of water
is saved.
Picture 2: 10 MW canal top solar PV plant in Vadodara City, Gujarat
The water in the canals gives rise
to algae growth due to abundant
sunlight and moisture. Algae block
and clog the irrigation and water
pumps and spoil the quality of water.
Thus, due to the fitment of solar
PV panels and absence of sunlight,
algae growth is drastically minimized.
This helps in lowering the cost of
maintenance and extends the life of
irrigation equipment. Furthermore,
the solar panels can provide electricity
to the irrigation pumps. Since the
pumps are often located at remote
locations, this would also solve the
issue of transmission of electricity
as well as strengthen the grid. This
way, the canal top becomes the best
administrative model for community-
scale solar powered water pumping/
village electrification programme.
Solar pumps no longer need to be
installed in isolation since they are
susceptible to theft, mishandling, poor
maintenance, etc. Canal top offers
better administrative model. The
authors believe that canal top solar PV
project has a very big role to play in
the Smart City Programme, National
Solar Mission, and greater use of
irrigation pumps. Another advantage

Since the pumps are often
located at remote locations,
this would also solve the
issue of transmission
of electricity as well as
strengthen the grid. This way,
the canal top becomes the
best administrative model
for community-scale solar
powered water pumping/
village electrification
programme. Solar pumps
no longer need to be
installed in isolation since
they are susceptible to
theft, mishandling, poor
maintenance, etc. Canal top
offers better administrative
model. The authors believe
that canal top solar PV
project has a very big role
to play in the smart city
programme, national solar
mission, and greater use of
irrigation pumps.
of the canal top solar power plant is
that the energy generation is closer
to the point of consumption. This
results in the minimization of the
transmission and distribution losses
View publication stats
of electricity, thus enabling urban
and rural settlements to generate
their own power. The generation at
remote consumption centres would
also enable the strengthening of the
grid which in turn would improve the
reliability of the power being supplied.
In addition, a lot of intangible
gains are also possible with the
implementation of the project.
Furthermore, there has been no
disturbance to the ecology and
habitation of the area near the canal
as well as the flora and fauna. The
project has offered employment
opportunities to rural and urban
workers, working in both skilled and
unskilled jobs on the site. Working on
the operation and maintenance of the
plant would also help in generating
interest and in turn, earning more
projects in the future.
Replication
The canal top power plant presents
an amazing potential for replication.
The project is easy to begin as
very few approvals/clearances
are required. Further, it offers a
faster implementation period as
no land acquisition/development
is required. Since irrigation canals
exist throughout India, it provides a
fairly simple and economically viable
model for replication. In Gujarat
alone, where the pilot project is
successfully implemented, there
Canal Top Solar PV Plant in Gujarat
exists a canal network of 80,000 km.
As per the estimation of the Gujarat
State Electricity Corporation Limited
(GSECL), even if 30 per cent of this
canal network is used for solar PV
plant installation, it can generate up
to 18,000 MW of power and a saving
of 90,000 acres of land. Similar large
canal networks exist across the entire
country, ensuring a cost effective and
smart model for generating energy.
Many other canal top plants have
been set up in India itself—a 10 MW
plant has been replicated in the city of
Vadodara in Gujarat (Picture 2), a 1 MW
plant has been set up in Karnataka,
and a canal top plant has also been
added in Andhra Pradesh.
It is pertinent to note at this
juncture that similar canal networks
exist throughout the world. Also, the
possibilities to further implement
this idea are endless. Recognizing its
importance, the Government of India
has prepared the policy for absorbing
100 MW of capacity addition through
canal top solar projects. The first
pilot project demonstrated by the
GSECL received the prestigious Prime
Minister’s Award for Best Project in
Public Administration for the year 2015.
Conclusion
The canal top solar power plant is an
innovative idea that efficiently utilizes
land and conserves water. It provides
a better administrative model for
smart village, smart city, and irrigation
projects. Further, it can be developed
under the public private partnership
(PPP) mode. With declining cost
trends, canal top projects are
expected to acquire a larger share of
national solar targets. Large capacity
canal top solar parks may offer faster
and more economical deployment of
solar power projects in India.
Mr Om Shukla, Dr Sagarkumar M Agravat
(Email: sagar.a@germi.res.in), and Ms Narayani
Srivastava are at the Gujarat Energy Research &
Management Institute (GERMI), Gandhinagar,
Gujarat. Ms Bela B Jani and Mr Gurdeep Singh
are at the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation
Limited, Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
August 2016 | Akshay Urja | 23