TNN:On April 18, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Asia’s first and the world’s largest solar park at Charanka village in Patan district of the state. The project will generate 600 MW of power, lead to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions to the tune of eight million tonnes, and save 900,000 tonnes of natural gas annually.
And while the green project will — like him or not — add to Modi’s credentials as a ‘super CEO’, Bangalore too can take a large share of the credit. It was three city boys — EI Technologies engineers N Ranganath, Sathish Joseph and Suchindra Dikshit — who were responsible for conceiving and implementing the Rs 9,000-crore project.
Speaking to BANGALORE MIRROR, the trio said it was a life-changing experience for them. When Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) came up with the idea of a solar park in the middle of barren land sans any connectivity, it was a huge challenge. The idea was that the government would develop the park with the basic infrastructure — sites, roads, power evacuation facilities, grids, etc. — and the sites would then be developed by private investors. The solar power produced would in turn be purchased by GPCL.
“EI Technologies was awarded the task of developing the park. Imagine the challenge of building a project spread over 5,400 acres of barren land. We won the contract for consultancy and implementation, and in less than nine months the project is up and running. We have battled extreme weather conditions, from scorching 48 degrees heat to torrential floods. But it was all very exciting,” said Ranganath, a geo-technology engineer.
“When we reached the site, all we saw was barren shrubland. It was terrain that would drive away even a local. Besides, the earmarked land had not been completely acquired. But such problems did not faze us, as our brief was to do our job and not worry about paperwork,” said Suchindra, a telecom expert.
Apart from being the lead consultant for the solar park, the company also has a power plant in the park generating one MW. “When we started, we knew next to nothing about the technology. But given the threat of global warming, we knew we had to work in the direction of alternative energy,” said Sathish, an electronics engineer.
So can the Gujarat solar park be replicated in Karnataka? “Why not,” said Ranganath. “Gulbarga and Raichur have very high solar radiation levels. But we need political will and bureaucratic cooperation. It will also save the state exchequer a lot of money,” he said. (The state needs around 200 million units of power everyday, with Bangalore alone requiring 35-40 million units. Yet only 150 million units is made available, and the state government had to spend almost Rs 7,000 crore in the last financial year for power purchases.)
“The Gujarat government spent just Rs 540 crore on the project while the remainder has been invested by private players. The only assurance you need to give private players is that you will buy their power.
“If a state, where even the remotest of villages has 24-hour power, can think of building such a project, why can’t our state, which is facing a power crisis, do it? Implementation and technology are no problem,” chorused the three.
Speaking to BANGALORE MIRROR, the trio said it was a life-changing experience for them. When Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) came up with the idea of a solar park in the middle of barren land sans any connectivity, it was a huge challenge. The idea was that the government would develop the park with the basic infrastructure — sites, roads, power evacuation facilities, grids, etc. — and the sites would then be developed by private investors. The solar power produced would in turn be purchased by GPCL.
“EI Technologies was awarded the task of developing the park. Imagine the challenge of building a project spread over 5,400 acres of barren land. We won the contract for consultancy and implementation, and in less than nine months the project is up and running. We have battled extreme weather conditions, from scorching 48 degrees heat to torrential floods. But it was all very exciting,” said Ranganath, a geo-technology engineer.
“When we reached the site, all we saw was barren shrubland. It was terrain that would drive away even a local. Besides, the earmarked land had not been completely acquired. But such problems did not faze us, as our brief was to do our job and not worry about paperwork,” said Suchindra, a telecom expert.
Apart from being the lead consultant for the solar park, the company also has a power plant in the park generating one MW. “When we started, we knew next to nothing about the technology. But given the threat of global warming, we knew we had to work in the direction of alternative energy,” said Sathish, an electronics engineer.
So can the Gujarat solar park be replicated in Karnataka? “Why not,” said Ranganath. “Gulbarga and Raichur have very high solar radiation levels. But we need political will and bureaucratic cooperation. It will also save the state exchequer a lot of money,” he said. (The state needs around 200 million units of power everyday, with Bangalore alone requiring 35-40 million units. Yet only 150 million units is made available, and the state government had to spend almost Rs 7,000 crore in the last financial year for power purchases.)
“The Gujarat government spent just Rs 540 crore on the project while the remainder has been invested by private players. The only assurance you need to give private players is that you will buy their power.
“If a state, where even the remotest of villages has 24-hour power, can think of building such a project, why can’t our state, which is facing a power crisis, do it? Implementation and technology are no problem,” chorused the three.
The solar park at Charanka village in Gujarat will lead to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions to the tune of eight million tonnes and save 900,000 tonnes of natural gas annually
Clockwise from left: Suchindra Dikshit, Sathish Joseph and N Ranganath
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