Anil Ambani-led Reliance Power has successfully connected the world's largest concentrated solar project (CSP) with compact linear fresnel reflector (CLFR) technology to the grid on 11-11-2014 in Jaisalmer District of Rajasthan, according to the company.
The 100MW CSP project is the largest investment ever taken in CSP technology by the private sector in India with a US$342 million (Rp 2,100 crore) price tag. The project's debt financers include Asian Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Axis Bank, and the Dutch development bank FMO.
Areva Solar, the US subsidiary of Areva SA of France, provided the CLFR technology, which causes the sunlight reflected to a system of tubes to boil the water inside the tubes to generate powerful steam. Reliance Power said the technology's simple design will minimise environmental spill and land requirement. Areva announced in August 2014 that it was closing its CSP division.
Reliance Power's subsidiary Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Private Limited was awarded the project in December 2010 and the project has a 25% reserve margin to meet 25 year Power Purchase Agreement obligations.
Built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore, the project has 25 per cent reserve margin to meet 25-year power purchase agreement obligations.
Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy, a subsidiary of Reliance Power, was awarded the project in December 2010, based on international competitive bidding conducted by Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (a subsidiary of NTPC) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission of the Centre.
With this project, Reliance Power's generation capacity has increased to 5,285 Mw, which includes 5,100 Mw of thermal capacity and 185 Mw of renewable energy-based capacity.
Source- ET