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Jan 164 min read

Chapainawabganj 2.1 MW Floating (Joules) Power Plant

Current Status: Operation

Source: PV Magazine


Chapainawabganj 2.1 MW Floating (Joules) Power Plant, also known as Joules Nawab Floating Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Plant, is a floating solar Photovoltaic (PV) power plant situated on a fish pond at Bulonpur near Amnura road under Chapainawabganj Sadar Upazila in Chapainawabganj District of Bangladesh (Location: 24.6168, 88.3068). It is sponsored by Joules Power Limited (JPL), a privately owned energy company for 12 years. The power plant started its commercial operation on 29 May 2023 and, as per schedule, it will retire on 28 May 2035.


Capacity

The power plant's installed (gross) and derated (net) capacity are 2.3 MW and  2.1 MW, respectively.


Context

Joules Power Limited (JPL), a privately held energy company in Bangladesh, seeks to become a prominent renewable energy producer and contribute to the government's sustainable development target of producing 10% of its energy mix from renewable sources. Chapainawabganj 2.1 MW floating power plant is one of the latest evidence of its contribution to renewable energy in the power sector.


According to the implementing agency, the floating solar power plant has been installed in two ponds of the Nawab Fish Farm project under the Nawab Autorice Mill in the Bisik industrial area of Atahar-Bulanpur of Chapainawabganj Sadar Upazila. Through which the electricity produced by meeting the company's electricity needs goes to the national grid (Rokon AKS, 2023). The power plant started its commercial operation on 29 May 2023. 


Jules Power Limited has built a solar power plant using its funds in the Nawab Auto Rice Mill's reservoir in Bulanpur, Chapainawabganj. The electricity of the plant, built under the OPEX model, will be sold to the auto-rice mill authorities at a rate of BDT 8.10 per unit while the mill owner currently buys electricity from power distribution company Nesco at BDT 10.60, saving BDT 2.5 per unit. The solar power generated from the plant can be sold to NESCO under the net metering system when the mill is closed or partially in production. Joules Power Limited (JPL) signed a PPA with Nawab Rice Mill for 12 years.


After 12 years of payment, the entire center will be handed over to the buyer free of cost. After 15 years, the buyer will be able to use free electricity from the plant, with a small maintenance cost. Food-grade plastic will be used to float solar panels in the water, ensuring the quality of the panels will remain intact for the next 20 years. The project will be monitored for a year, and there are plans to implement it in 42 more ponds of the same buyer.


Land acquisition

The solar panels are positioned in a 22,000 square-meter artificial pond and acquire only 50% of the reservoir on specially manufactured floating platforms (Cambodianess, 2023). 


Finance

The project required approximately 1.5 million US dollars in total funding (Cambodianess, 2023), all of which came from Joules Energy Limited (JPL) funds (Likhon N., 2023). 


Sponsors

The Joules Power Limited (JPL), a privately owned energy company, sponsors the power plant.


Contractors

It uses floaters, solar panels, and inverters from Chinese and German firms. The floaters are from Chinese Sungrow, solar panels from Chinese JA Solar, and inverters from German SMA Solar Technology  (Xinhua 2023).


Fuel Supply

Solar energy will be used directly to get the energy.


Power generation

This solar power plant uses 3,700 solar panels, of which 1,500 are floating and the remaining 500 are mounted on the roof. Six of the plant's fifteen inverters have been used for floating.  (Xinhua 2023). Although the total production capacity of this floating solar power plant is 2.3 megawatts, initially during the peak hours (four hours during the maximum temperature of the sun), the maximum power generation has been 1.8 megawatts per hour in the first three days of its operation (Rokon AKS, 2023). This solar power plant has been constructed under the OPEX model on the grid. In this model, the buyer does not have to invest any money. After our company constructs the center with funding, the auto rice mill authority will buy the electricity from here at 8 taka 10 paisa per unit. Currently, the mill owner is buying electricity from the electricity distribution company Nesco at the rate of 10 taka 60 paisa. That means he is saving two and a half BDT for each unit of electricity. Besides, when the mill is closed or in partial production, the solar power generated from this center can be sold to Nesco under the net metering system (Likhon N., 2023).


Environment

According to Section 12 of the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is obligatory for any industry (MOLJPA 1995). Even if solar energy is sustainable, the general health of the pond ecology is called into question when it is installed in a body of water. According to the sponsor, food-grade polymers were used during the installation of the power plant, and it will be safe for up to 20 years. Solar panels have been installed in the water in such a way that the normal life cycle of the fish is not disrupted. They will still monitor it for a year. Then there are 42 more ponds of the same buyer where there are plans to implement such a project  (Likhon N., 2023). 


References

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