"Canal-Top Solar Emerges as India's Land-Free Power Option"
Canal-Top Photovoltaics (CTPV)
solar panels mounted on elevated structures above irrigation or water-supply canals
Floating Solar
solar panels installed on platforms that float directly on water bodies
India's push for clean energy is running into a land problem. Large solar parks need large, flat plots of land, and this land is getting costlier and harder to acquire. This has pushed policymakers toward land-free solar options that use existing infrastructure instead of new land. The recently approved PM Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) is one such step. It aims to build 5,000 MW of floating solar capacity on reservoirs and other inland water bodies. In floating solar, panels sit on platforms that float directly on the water.
India's canal network offers another land-free option. India has one of the largest irrigation and water-supply canal systems in the world. Canal-top photovoltaics (CTPV) uses this network by mounting solar panels on elevated structures built over canal stretches. Photovoltaic cells (meaning: devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity) are the basic technology behind all solar panels, including CTPV. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) first supported this idea through a 2014 pilot scheme, offering financial assistance to developers.
CTPV structures can be built in different ways depending on a canal's width, design, and direction. Some elevated structures span the full width of the canal. Others are installed along the canal banks. In every design, water must be able to flow freely underneath. This is different from floating solar, where panels rest on platforms directly on the water surface rather than on structures raised above it.
CTPV offers two main benefits beyond saving land. First, covering a canal stretch with panels cuts down water lost to evaporation, which matters in water-stressed regions. …
Consider the following statements about canal-top photovoltaics (CTPV):
1.CTPV systems reduce water lost to evaporation from canals.
2.The cooling effect of canal water can improve solar panel performance in hot weather.
3.CTPV systems require significantly more land than ground-mounted solar plants.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following pairs of land-neutral solar technologies and their panel-mounting approach:
1.Canal-top photovoltaics (CTPV) — Panels float directly on the water surface
2.Floating solar — Panels are mounted on elevated structures above water bodies
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Which of the following statements regarding India's canal-top and canal-bank solar potential is/are correct?
1.A 2024 assessment estimated this combined potential at around 131 GW.
2.Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are among the states identified with the highest potential.
3.The assessment considered vertical bifacial installations for canals wider than 30 metres.
Select the correct answer using the code below.
What is the target floating solar capacity to be developed under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY)?
The 2014 pilot-cum-demonstration scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for canal-based solar set a capacity target of:
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