"NAAVI" - A land neutral solar solution
We have developed "Naavi", our proprietary panel mounting structure that enables installation of floating solar power plants on water. It comprises of modular components including buoyancy chambers, ballast tanks, connectors, panel mounting structures and catwalks that will be assembled to form a floating platform, which houses PV modules to form a PV table. These PV tables are interlinked to form large floating islands. Catwalks are provided between panels for periodic maintenance of the floating solar PV power plant.
"Naavi" has been recognised as an innovative project by Government of India which is providing an assistance under PRAYAAS scheme to commercialise the project. Enfrien has also been incubated by Amrita TBI as an innovative startup.
"Naavi" addresses multiple issues as follows:
1. Land Conservation – “Naavi” is a land-neutral solution that is installed on water. Rapid adoption of solar PV and massive targets set by the central government makes this a great initiative to save the land.
2. Water Conservation – “Naavi” power plants covers the water surface. It cuts down evaporation by over 90% the extent of water cover. The next war on earth can be for clean and potable and hence it is important to conserve it.
3. Improve Plant utilisation – When installed on raw-water ponds of industries, it reduces evaporative losses and saves water. This ensures additional annual water availability for industries. This increases the plant utilization where they face a shut down due to scarcity of water as annual water availability is increased.
4. Renewable energy generation – Clean and green power is the need of this hour. Floating solar plants work at a higher efficiency due to the natural cooling effect of water. Overall the solution offers a great alternative for solar power generation on utility scale.
5. Cost effective energy storage solution – Installation in reservoirs of pump-storage plants produce electricity in situ and use the same available infrastructure. The power generated can be used for pumping the water to higher reservoir in non-peak hours, which acts as a cost effective PV storage solution, which can be used during peak hours with hydropower generation.
Our USP's are:
1. Cost economics - The per MW cost for installed power plant is estimated to be the lowest across competitors and we have ensured that our solution is economically viable without subsidies. The solution is around 20% lower on the CAPEX, which is essential for economically viable projects.
2. Modular pre-fabricated design – It is easy to scale and manufacture with faster installation time as compared to competitors
3. Integrated ballast tank – The ballast tank ensures higher system stability on impact and large winds with a wind resistance of upto 200 kmph. Low tilt angles and windshields ensure that we can install in all regions across India
4. Low wave impact – Integration of baffles in the design reduce wave impact on the island increasing the life of the system.
5. Low transportation costs - Transporting floating solar mounts is effectively transporting air to the sites. Transportation costs account for a fair share in the system cost. Naavi, with its modular design and shape ensures optimal transportation volume ensuring lowest transportation costs per MW across industry. Reduced number of transportation containers required per MW ensures lower carbon footprint for transportation.
6. Design Life > 25y - Use of uPVC ensures that the life of Naavi is over 25 years, which matches the design life of PV plants. Competitors use HDPE, which is prone to rapid degradation under prolonged exposure to UV and offers a life of less than 20 years.
7. Compatible with varying water levels - Anchoring design is compatible with reservoirs with varying water levels.
8. Enhanced Cooling - Open frame structure allows for enhanced cooling of panels.
Use Case in both private and public sector such as:
1. Large industries - having a manmade or natural uncovered raw water reservoir for storing water for their processes. Reduced evaporative losses ensure higher water availability for the plant. This increases their plant utilization by reducing plant shutdown due to scarcity of water.
2. Renewable power obligation – Floating solar power plants produce clean solar power which offests renewable power obligation of large industries.
3. Low cost capacity addition for hydropower plants - Floating solar power plants are natural capacity addition points for these plants as we use the same infrastructure for evacuating power. When solar power is generated, hydropower generation can be reduced and the reduction of water usage is energy stored for peak hour utilisation. This helps in generating extra hydropower in peak hours thereby reducing peak hour demand gap and increased revenues in the hydropower plant due to higher tariffs at peak hours.
4. Cost effective energy storage when hybridised with pump storage plants – Installation in reservoirs of pump-storage plants produce electricity in situ and use the same available infrastructure. The power generated can be used for pumping the water to higher reservoir in non-peak hours, which acts as a cost effective PV storage solution, which can be used during peak hours with hydropower generation.
5. Utilisation of unusable spaces – Government / private owned abandoned Quarry / Mine Lakes, which cannot be used for any other purposes because they are deep and dangerous. Unusable space becomes a revenue generating space
6. Dams and Reservoirs - Floating solar plants save water to a tune of 20 million liters per MW (hectare) per year. This water saved can irrigate an additional 5 - 25 acres under drip irrigation and 2 - 8 acres under flood irrigation.
Overall it reduces natural evaporation and reduces land acquisition for solar power plant installation
"Naavi" has been recognised as an innovative project by Government of India which is providing an assistance under PRAYAAS scheme to commercialise the project. Enfrien has also been incubated by Amrita TBI as an innovative startup.
"Naavi" addresses multiple issues as follows:
1. Land Conservation – “Naavi” is a land-neutral solution that is installed on water. Rapid adoption of solar PV and massive targets set by the central government makes this a great initiative to save the land.
2. Water Conservation – “Naavi” power plants covers the water surface. It cuts down evaporation by over 90% the extent of water cover. The next war on earth can be for clean and potable and hence it is important to conserve it.
3. Improve Plant utilisation – When installed on raw-water ponds of industries, it reduces evaporative losses and saves water. This ensures additional annual water availability for industries. This increases the plant utilization where they face a shut down due to scarcity of water as annual water availability is increased.
4. Renewable energy generation – Clean and green power is the need of this hour. Floating solar plants work at a higher efficiency due to the natural cooling effect of water. Overall the solution offers a great alternative for solar power generation on utility scale.
5. Cost effective energy storage solution – Installation in reservoirs of pump-storage plants produce electricity in situ and use the same available infrastructure. The power generated can be used for pumping the water to higher reservoir in non-peak hours, which acts as a cost effective PV storage solution, which can be used during peak hours with hydropower generation.
Our USP's are:
1. Cost economics - The per MW cost for installed power plant is estimated to be the lowest across competitors and we have ensured that our solution is economically viable without subsidies. The solution is around 20% lower on the CAPEX, which is essential for economically viable projects.
2. Modular pre-fabricated design – It is easy to scale and manufacture with faster installation time as compared to competitors
3. Integrated ballast tank – The ballast tank ensures higher system stability on impact and large winds with a wind resistance of upto 200 kmph. Low tilt angles and windshields ensure that we can install in all regions across India
4. Low wave impact – Integration of baffles in the design reduce wave impact on the island increasing the life of the system.
5. Low transportation costs - Transporting floating solar mounts is effectively transporting air to the sites. Transportation costs account for a fair share in the system cost. Naavi, with its modular design and shape ensures optimal transportation volume ensuring lowest transportation costs per MW across industry. Reduced number of transportation containers required per MW ensures lower carbon footprint for transportation.
6. Design Life > 25y - Use of uPVC ensures that the life of Naavi is over 25 years, which matches the design life of PV plants. Competitors use HDPE, which is prone to rapid degradation under prolonged exposure to UV and offers a life of less than 20 years.
7. Compatible with varying water levels - Anchoring design is compatible with reservoirs with varying water levels.
8. Enhanced Cooling - Open frame structure allows for enhanced cooling of panels.
Use Case in both private and public sector such as:
1. Large industries - having a manmade or natural uncovered raw water reservoir for storing water for their processes. Reduced evaporative losses ensure higher water availability for the plant. This increases their plant utilization by reducing plant shutdown due to scarcity of water.
2. Renewable power obligation – Floating solar power plants produce clean solar power which offests renewable power obligation of large industries.
3. Low cost capacity addition for hydropower plants - Floating solar power plants are natural capacity addition points for these plants as we use the same infrastructure for evacuating power. When solar power is generated, hydropower generation can be reduced and the reduction of water usage is energy stored for peak hour utilisation. This helps in generating extra hydropower in peak hours thereby reducing peak hour demand gap and increased revenues in the hydropower plant due to higher tariffs at peak hours.
4. Cost effective energy storage when hybridised with pump storage plants – Installation in reservoirs of pump-storage plants produce electricity in situ and use the same available infrastructure. The power generated can be used for pumping the water to higher reservoir in non-peak hours, which acts as a cost effective PV storage solution, which can be used during peak hours with hydropower generation.
5. Utilisation of unusable spaces – Government / private owned abandoned Quarry / Mine Lakes, which cannot be used for any other purposes because they are deep and dangerous. Unusable space becomes a revenue generating space
6. Dams and Reservoirs - Floating solar plants save water to a tune of 20 million liters per MW (hectare) per year. This water saved can irrigate an additional 5 - 25 acres under drip irrigation and 2 - 8 acres under flood irrigation.
Overall it reduces natural evaporation and reduces land acquisition for solar power plant installation
