SunEdison inaugurates solar plant in Madhya Pradesh
SunEdison Inc has inaugurated the 50 MW Dammakhedi DC solar power plant in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The project, completed two months ahead of schedule, is the first solar power plant in the state to use single axis tracker technology to maximize energy production.
The site is connected to the Madhya Pradesh state grid, delivering 50 MW of clean power to the central government's Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
Madhya Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department (MPNRED) is the state nodal agency assigned to oversee the project on a local level, with Sterling and Wilson and Larson and Toubro assisting as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors for the project. The plant was interconnected in December 2014.
Pashupathy Gopalan, SunEdison Asia-Pacific President, has commented:
"As India's economy continues to grow, it will need access to clean, cost effective, and reliable electricity. Solar generated electricity is the ideal solution. Solar is more cost effective than energy generated from fossil fuels in India, solar power plants can be built quickly and additional capacity can be easily added later on.
The Dammakhedi plant uses the latest solar technologies to maximize energy production, and is a case study in SunEdison's ability to deliver projects quickly and efficiently. We look forward to future projects in the region as we bring affordable and reliable solar electricity to the people of India."
Operation and maintenance of the solar power plant will be performed by SunEdison Services, a SunEdison subsidiary which provides global 24/7 asset management, monitoring and reporting services.
Manu Srivastava, Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam organization and speaking on behalf of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, has stated:
"The Madhya Pradesh government and the New and Renewable Energy Department have been proactive in promoting renewable energy in the state. We are happy with the outcome of this joint effort between the government of Madhya Pradesh and SunEdison. Our government, led by the Honourable Chief Minister Shivraj Singhji Chouhan, will continue to promote investments in the renewable energy spaced, which will contribute substantially to the Prime Minister's ambitious plan to develop 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2022."
The 50 MW endeavor is among the first projects to be commissioned under the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), an ecologically sustainable growth initiative by the State and National Governments of India.
The inauguration follows SunEdison's announcement of its acquisition of Continuum Wind Energy in India, which we reported at the end of June.
IPP Journal has recently published multiple articles on key developments in India's solar market:
