Pavagada Solar Park
World’s Largest Solar Park
Group A
Om Kedar
Swayam Patil
Ayush Deore
Aditya Gavali
Kabir Meshram
1. Address: Tirumani Village, Pavagada Taluk, Thirumani
QUICK FACTS
– 572136
2. Construction Began: October 2016
3. Operated By: Karnataka Solar Power Development
Corporation Ltd.
4. Type:Flat-panel PV
5. Site Area: 13,000 acres (53 km2),
6. Site Resource: 5.5-6.0 kWh/m2 per day
7. Power Generation: Units operational – 600 MW [4],
Under Construction – 1,400 MW
Shakti Stala
The park, known as Shakti Sthala is located around 180 km from
Bengaluru in the Pavagada region of the tumkur district. It is spread
over 13,000 acres of land that has been taken from 2,300 farmers
on a 25-year lease. The total capacity of this solar park is said to be
2,000 megawatts.
In its first phase, it will generate 600 MW of power. Work for the
remaining 1,400 MW will be commissioned by the end of the year.
This will help increase Karnataka’s power capacity from 23,379
MW and help bridge the gap between demand and supply of power.
The budget for this park is calculated to be approximately Rs
16,500 crore.
Solar Potential in India
India is among the leading countries having good Direct Normal Irradiance2 (DNI), which depends on the geographic
location, earthsun movement, tilt of Earth rotational axis and atmospheric attenuation due to suspended particles.
India is estimated to have huge potential for solar energy which is about 5000 trillion kWh per year . The solar
radiation incident over India is equal to 47 kWh per square meter per day [6] with an annual radiation ranging from
1200–2300 kWh per square meter .It has an average of 250–300 clear sunny days and 2300–3200 hours of sunshine
per year. India's electricity needs can be met on a total land area of 3000 km2 which is equal to 0.1% of total land in
the country. Therefore, technologies for conversion of solar radiation into heat and electricity, namely, solar thermal
and solar photovoltaic.
The solar power where sun hits atmosphere is 1017 W, whereas the solar power on earth's surface is 1016 W. The total
worldwide power demand of all needs of civilization is 1013 W. Therefore the sun gives us 1000 times more power
than we need. 2 DNIis solar radiation that comes in a straight line from the direction of the sun at its current position
in the sky. can successfully be exploited for providing enormous scalability in India.
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Why was Pavagada chosen
as the site for project?
Apart from high solar radiation and availability of
land, the region receives very little rainfall. Pavagada
taluk is located in a semi-arid tract, atop an elevated
plateau surrounded by rocky hills. The region has
been declared drought hit by the
Karnataka Government 54 times in the past 6
decades. The region is also scarcely populated and
most of its residents are poor farmers. Many of the
region's residents have migrated to Bangalore,
located about 180 km away, for economic reasons.
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CHALLENGES FACED DURING
DEVELOPMENT
There were a few challenges that were faced during the development of the Pavagada Solar Park. Some of these
include:
Land acquisition: The solar park is spread over an area of 13,000 acres, which required the acquisition of land from
local farmers. This was a challenging process as it involved negotiating with a large number of landowners and
reaching mutually acceptable terms.
Environmental concerns: The solar park is located in an arid region that is prone to drought. There were concerns
that the large-scale development of the solar park could have an adverse impact on the local environment and water
resources.
Funding: The Pavagada Solar Park required a significant investment of funds to build and operate. The project was
funded through a combination of government grants and private investment.
Technical issues: The solar park involves a complex network of solar panels, inverters, and transformers, which
required careful planning and execution to ensure reliable and efficient operation.
Overall, the development of the Pavagada Solar Park involved overcoming a number of challenges, but it has
ultimately been a success and is now one of the largest solar parks in the world.
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Working and functioning
The Pavagada Solar Park is made up of a complex network of solar panels, inverters, and transformers that work together to generate
and distribute electricity.
The solar panels are arranged in rows and are responsible for converting sunlight into electricity. The electricity is then fed into a
system of inverters, which convert the direct current (DC) electricity produced by the panels into alternating current (AC) electricity.
This is the form of electricity that is used in homes and businesses.
The AC electricity is then fed into a system of transformers, which help to regulate the flow of electricity and ensure that it is at the
proper voltage for distribution.
The planning and execution of this complex network of components is critical to the successful operation of the solar park. Careful
planning and execution are required to ensure that the solar panels, inverters, and transformers are properly installed and configured to
work together efficiently and effectively.
Overall, the Pavagada Solar Park is an impressive example of how solar technology can be used to generate clean, renewable energy
on a large scale.
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Details about location and land acquisition
The project is spread over a total area of 13,000 acres (53 km2) which includes the 5 villages of Balasamudra, Tirumani, Kyataganacharlu,
Vallur, and Rayacharlu.
Pavagada was chosen as the site for the project for several reasons. Apart from high solar radiation and the availability of land, the region
receives very little rainfall. Pavagada taluk is located in a semi-arid tract, atop an elevated plateau surrounded by rocky hills. The region has
been declared drought-hit by the Karnataka Government 54 times in the past 6 decades. The region is also scarcely populated and most of its
residents are poor farmers. Many of the region's residents have migrated to Bangalore, located about 180 km away, for economic reasons.
G.V. Balram, the managing director of KREDL, was born and raised in a village in Pavaguda taluk. He understood that farmers in the region
were reluctant to sell their land due to emotional reasons. In order to aid in the development of the region and reduce economic migration,
Balram offered farmers the option to lease the land required for the project rather than purchase it outright. Landowners receive an annual
payment of ₹21,000 (US$260) per acre under the terms of the lease which is valid for 25–35 years. For the entire land required for the park,
the total compensation for the entire project amounts to ₹23-25 crore per year. The annual payment amount will increase by 5% every 2
years.
KREDL MD G V Balaram noted that the cost of setting up facilities to produce 1 MW of solar power has dropped from Rs 20 crore to Rs
5.5 crore. “As a result, we have been able to achieve grid parity, by charging Rs 4.35 per unit of electricity generated from solar energy,” he
had said. In comparison, a unit of coal-generated power cost Rs 5 per unit.
Source: The New Indian Express
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Commissioning
On 14 December 2017, Fortum announced that it had connected a 100MW solar plant at
Pavagada to the grid. Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd commissioned 100 MW at the park by
19 December, and an additional 50 MW by 2 January 2018. 600 MW of power was
commissioned by 31 January 2018 and a further 1,400 MW is planned.
Pavagada Solar Park had a total commissioned capacity of 1,400 MW by 9 April 2019 out of a
total of 2,050 MW planned by December 2019. Another 450 MW was commissioned by
November 2019 taking the total project capacity to 1850 MW, making it the largest solar power
plant in the world at the time.
Upon completion, Pavagada Solar Park was World’s largest solar power plant. However, as of
April 2021, it was World's third largest photovoltaic solar park after the 2245 MW Bhadla Solar
Park in Rajasthan and Huanghe Hydropower Hainan Solar Park in China 2200 MW.
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Thank you
