Which technology is utilized in the solar power plants commissioned by the Indian Navy?

Solution

Indian Navy has commissioned solar power with cumulative capacity of 15.87MW which is in line with the Navy’s objective of fulfilling Govt of India’s ‘Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)’ mission. These plants are grid-connected utilising single-axis sun tracking technology with computerised monitoring & control. Additionally, 16 MW capacity of SPVs are at various stages of execution. As a maiden initiative, an indigenous make and patented retrofit device developed by M/s Chakr Innovations for reducing diesel engine emissions was installed on a shore-based Diesel Generator for long-term trials. Trials have indicated 70% reduction in Hydrocarbon, Carbon Monoxide, and Particulate Matter in the engine’s exhaust emissions. The retrofit device for diesel engine exhaust emission reduction is being inducted in a phased manner on all land-based Diesel Gensets, and once inducted, it would go a long way in enabling the Navy towards reducing the emissions levels further. Indian Navy in collaboration with IISc (Bengaluru) has operationalised a ‘first of its kind’ 100KW capacity AC plant in the country based on the natural refrigerant Carbon dioxide. The plant has been installed at the Centre of Excellence (Marine Engineering), INS Shivaji for trials and exploitation. Till now, the plant has clocked 850 hrs of operation successfully.