Vikram Solar, the EPC company and solar module manufacturer based in India, has recently announced that the firm has commissioned a solar power project having 200 Megawatt (MW) capacity. Reportedly, this project has been commissioned for Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO) and is anticipated to power about 1,50,000 homes once it is connected to the grid.

Located in Anatapuramu district, this project is apparently divided into 2 blocks, each with a capacity of 100 MW, for higher efficiency and better management. The project is spread over a land of 1,000 acres of undulated rocky terrain (500 acres each for 100 MW). Power would be evacuated at 33 KV level, 33/220 KV capacity in 2 pooling substations, which would then evacuate power to 220/400 KV main substation.

A news release from Vikram Solar reveals that a total of 8,48,680 modules, stretching from 320 wp to 330 wp were installed during the project, which is estimated to generate 446 MU energy per annum, besides eliminating 210 metric tons of CO2 emissions in a year. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the plant would be carried out by the company for 5 years from the commissioning date.

COO – EPC of Vikram Solar, Mr. Kuldeep Jain, mentioned that the company had faced a lot of challenges while executing this project, as undulated land needed rocks/boulders to be dug from the site. Careful execution of multiple blasting needed for placing the cable at desired trench depth, as well as natural earth material non-availability for back filling had brought engineering challenges, he stated.

Mr. Jain further said that implementation of Safeguard had delayed module delivery, while the confusions regarding the applicability of GST rate impacted cash flows, and delayed delivery of modules. Careful planning and development of strategies in engineering and operations, however, assisted the company in completing the project successfully with an average daily installation of about 4 MW.