NTPC takes big strides in solar, hydrogen energy

Coal Insights Bureau

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPCREL) has got the goahead from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to build a 4750 MW renewable energy park at Khavada in Gujarat.

This will be India’s largest solar park to be built by the largest power producer of the country. It also successfully commissioned India’s largest floating solar project of 10 MW on the reservoir of Simhadri thermal power plant.

On July 12, NTPCREL was given the go-ahead under Mode 8 (Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park) of Solar Park Scheme.

NTPC REL has plans to generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale from this park.

Recently, NTPC has also commissioned India’s largest floating solar facility of 10 MW on the reservoir of Simhadri thermal power plant in Andhra Pradesh.

An additional 15 MW would be commissioned by August 2021. Further, a 100 MW floating solar project on the reservoir of Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant, Telangana is in the advanced stage of implementation, the company said.

Hydrogen initiatives

Country’s first green Hydrogen Mobility project

Additionally, NTPCRE Ltd has recently signed an MoU with UT, Ladakh and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) for the generation of green hydrogen and deployment on FCEV buses.

The signing of the MoU also marked the inauguration of NTPC’s first solar installations in Leh in form of solar trees and a solar car port.

The MoU will enable NTPC to help Ladakh develop a carbon free economy based on renewable sources and green hydrogen.

This is also in line with Prime Minister’s vision of a ‘carbon neutral’ Ladakh.

NTPC has planned to ply 5 hydrogen buses, to start with, in the region and the company will be setting up a solar plant and a green hydrogen generation unit in Leh towards this end.

This will put Leh as the first city in the country to implement a green hydrogen based mobility project. This would be zero emission mobility in true sense.

NTPC has been aggressively pushing for greening its portfolio and green hydrogen project is another step towards achieving low carbon footprint. NTPC has also been promoting usage of green hydrogen based solutions in sectors like mobility, energy, chemical, fertilizer, steel etc.