Rewa, a city in the north-eastern part of Madhya Pradesh, is home to the largest ‘single site’ solar plant in Asia. The power plant was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10, 2020, through video conferencing.
The solar plant was set up by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited, a joint venture between Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited and the Centre’s Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
Components:
- The plant consists of three solar power generating units that are located on a 500-hectare plot of land inside a 1,500-hectare solar park.
- Each plant generates 250 MW of energy.
- Mahindra Renewables Pvt., Arinsun Clean Energy Pvt., and ACME Jaipur Solar Power Pvt. are the three companies that bagged the mandate to build the three generating units.
- The bulk of the equipment was ordered from China.
Since the project was launched before the Atma Nirbhar Bharat project, let’s not go blaming the government for violating its own policies!
What does 1MW of energy signify?
1MW of solar energy can produce close to 4200 units of electricity per day. An average household consumes approximately 90 units of electricity in a month. Without calculating, it is visible that 1 MW of energy is sufficient to power a small town (assuming with basic amenities).
In monetary value, it can produce more than Rs.12,00,000 of electricity.
How can the 750 MW solar energy help farmers?
The Rewa solar plant is a big boon to the farmers of Madhya Pradesh. 76% of the energy generated is going to be diverted to the state DISCOMs. Farmers and agriculturists face a plight of power shortage indirectly affecting the crop.
It can save farmers a lot of funds that are spent on buying diesel for generating power.
The benefits are not only limited to the farmers but for the larger good as well. The project is expected to help reduce carbon emission equivalent to about 15 lakh tons of CO2 per year.
Of course, the noxious effects of carbon emissions and how it is a silent killer can be enumerated, but instead, the requisite is:
- To appreciate the efforts of the existing government and
- Pondering on new and lucrative ways to reduce carbon footprint.
The state and central governments in confluence with private entities have set up 5 of India’s largest solar power plants in the last five years with a total energy capacity of 6698MW. The highest capacity plant is the Bhadla solar park, situated in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district.
175 GW renewable energy in India by 2022
India aims to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 and 450 GW of energy by 2030. As of October 2019, India has established 83GWs of clean energy. Many projects across the country are under installation which will further increase the energy capacity making the 175GW target quite achievable.
India has a vast potential for renewable energy which can be tapped using private and public resources. The Rewa power plant is up and running successfully. Such solar plants are beneficial in the long run as the environmental impact in generating alternate sources of energy is eliminated.
Written by: Shaurya Rathi
Sources:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/productline/power-generation/india-on-track-to-achieve-175-gw-of-renewable-energy-by-2022-government/articleshow/71614562.cms?from=mdr
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/rewa-solar-power-plant-madhya-pradesh-features-components-explained-6500673/
