The pilot project of the Irrigation Department to produce power from the solar panels will be implemented at Meenkara dam in Palakkad district, before going in for a mega production from other dams.
The Cabinet had already given the nod to go ahead with the pilot project as several other departments in the state were already using solar power for their functioning.
When the state is reeling under severe power crisis, the best option is to use conventional solar energy for the production of power.
When developed countries resorted to solar power methodology by installing solar panels in dams and reservoirs, the Kerala Government too came up with a proposal in this regard and submitted it to the Union Government.
Irrigation Minister P J Joseph had submitted a proposal to the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal recently.
Irrigation Principal Secretary V J Kurian said that power production using solar panels from dams and reservoirs couldn’t be done on a large scale without a study on the conditions of Kerala.
Though it was planned to implement the project in Malampuzha dam, it was later shifted to Meenkara Dam in Palakkad, which will be a pilot project.
It is proposed to install solar panels in this dam to produce 20 MW of power. A proposal in this regard will be prepared by the Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation (KIDCO), which will be submitted to the government for the final nod. After the proposal is prepared, companies which have technical expertise in this field will be invited to give the Expression of Interest (EoI) to implement the project.
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