Excellence in execution
Execution of a 15MWp plant in less than three months exemplifies the combined designing, planning, and execution expertise of the team. The numbers are astounding: it required 15,864 pile foundations for the installation of 63,456 235Wp modules. The mounting structure has provision for a seasonal tilt to capture maximum radiation and maximise generation.
Twenty-eight central inverters of 500kW each are housed in 14 inverter rooms feeding power to a 1,250kVA transformer. There are 14 1,250kVA transformers connected in a ring, stepping up voltage from 400V to 11kV.
Finally, the combined output of all the transformers is stepped up by the main transformer to 66kV level for feeding to the grid through a 66kV switchyard. In order to track procurement and contracting progress, a model mapped the entire procurement process from floating inquiry to delivery at site with weightages as per importance.
All items and contracts were available on a single sheet, and a single scorecard provided daily progress. Visits to vendors' facility for inspection, advance arrangements for unloading the trucks at site, and distributing materials as they were unloaded, helped to cut down time. The Solar Power Business core team and the EPC contractor had daily conference calls to raise red flags and prioritise actions.
Ninety per cent of the work was completed by January 24. Because of the January 28, 2012 deadline, everyone, including government officials, worked on 26 January, a Republic Day. All the statutory inspections were carried out in the last two days, and after receiving the clearances, the plant was synchronised on January 27, 2012 a day before the deadline.
More power to solar power
The plant location has a Global Horizontal Irradiance of 5.305kWh/m2/day, and is expected to generate 23.25 million kWh of electricity annually. This will mitigate 18,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission every year. At 600kWh per capita power consumption in India, it can supply power to 38,750 persons or about 9,500 families. In fact, both the solar projects in Rajasthan and Gujarat, are top ranking in terms of output.
The team is sanguine about carrying this momentum forward and is developing a reasonably sized portfolio of solar power plants in the years to come. Since the commissioning of above mentioned two projects team has commissioned three more new plants of 40 MW capacity in FY 13-14 in the States of Rajasthan and Telangana. This includes 22 MW Bhadla, Rajasthan project which by far is our biggest solar project.
From the Grow as you learn series (August 2014 Edition)
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