{"id":125784,"date":"2026-09-23T11:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T06:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=125784"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T06:02:24","slug":"canal-top-photovoltaics-how-indias-canals-can-power-solar-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/canal-top-photovoltaics-how-indias-canals-can-power-solar-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Canal-Top Photovoltaics: How India&#8217;s Canals Can Power Solar Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Canal-Top Photovoltaics Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As India expands clean energy capacity, land for solar projects is becoming scarce and costly. This has pushed interest towards innovative solutions that generate power without consuming more land.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recently approved <\/span><b>PM Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> targets <\/span><b>5,000 MW<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of floating solar capacity on reservoirs and inland water bodies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But India&#8217;s water infrastructure holds another under-explored resource: its vast <\/span><b>canal network<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, among the largest in the world.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About Canal-Top Photovoltaics (CTPV)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Canal-Top Photovoltaics (CTPV), solar panels are mounted on specialised elevated structures built over canal stretches.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This differs from floating solar, where panels sit on platforms floating directly on water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structures may span the canal or be installed along the canal banks, depending on width, design and orientation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In every configuration, the design must allow unobstructed water flow underneath.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why CTPV Makes Sense<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Land Saved<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Like floating solar, CTPV&#8217;s biggest advantage is that it needs virtually no additional land. In Punjab, installing 20 MW of CTPV capacity is estimated to have saved nearly 100 acres of land.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Water Saved<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Panels covering canal stretches reduce evaporation losses \u2014 valuable in India&#8217;s water-stressed regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Better Panel Performance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; The cooling effect of water beneath the panels can improve efficiency in hot weather.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>A Working Example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; A 1-MW CTPV system over the Narmada Canal in Mehsana, Gujarat, commissioned in 2012, reportedly saves close to 9 million litres of water annually while generating 1.6 million units of electricity each year.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India&#8217;s Track Record So Far<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTPV remains a niche application, but India was an early mover.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2012: First CTPV installation at Mehsana, Gujarat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2014\u20132017: Two 10-MW systems commissioned in Vadodara, Gujarat.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2017\u20132018: 20 MW commissioned across Punjab.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">September 2025: The Punjab Energy Development Agency invited expressions of interest for 40-MW CTPV projects across Punjab&#8217;s canal network, which spans over 10,000 km.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Haryana has begun exploring CTPV over six of its irrigation canals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Policy Support: Past and Present<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTPV first received formal backing in 2014, when the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a pilot-cum-demonstration scheme for grid-connected CTPV and canal-bank projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Target:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 50 MW each for CTPV and canal-bank projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Financial assistance: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rs 3 crore per MW (CTPV) and Rs 1.5 crore per MW (canal-bank), or 30% of project cost, whichever was lower.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Scale of the Opportunity<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 2024 assessment, co-authored by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), estimated India&#8217;s combined CTPV and canal-bank potential at around <\/span><b>131 GW<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This covers canals up to 30 metres wide, plus vertical bifacial installations for canals wider than 30 metres.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The assessment factored in solar irradiation, canal characteristics, distance from substations, and protected areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The five states with <\/span><b>highest potential<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Deployment Has Stayed Limited<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite early progress, CTPV has not scaled meaningfully in over a decade.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>High system cost<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the primary bottleneck. Elevated structures spanning canals cost more than simple ground-mounted panels.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structures must be engineered to <\/span><b>not disrupt canal operations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and to <\/span><b>withstand wind loads<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, requiring extra structural steel, foundations and maintenance access.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Maintenance is harder<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 cleaning, repair and replacement work is more difficult on structures elevated above a working canal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>linear, winding nature of canals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> complicates layout, especially where canals change direction or substations are poorly located, raising the cost of electricity produced.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PM-SSY is expected to revitalise floating solar and signal growing policy interest in land-neutral solar solutions. This momentum could extend to CTPV as well, but scaling it requires deliberate steps:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Site selection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on land scarcity, nearby electricity demand, grid connectivity, and canal orientation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Tailored financing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 viability gap funding and low-cost debt \u2014 to attract developers and help early projects build experience, eventually reducing costs through scale.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lesson from 2014: <\/span><b>financial support alone is not enough<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The earlier MNRE scheme did not convert pilots into large-scale deployment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What&#8217;s now needed is a <\/span><b>renewed policy approach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> combining financial assistance, <\/span><b>standardised specifications and guidelines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>capacity building<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of state nodal agencies and irrigation departments, and <\/span><b>streamlined approval processes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTPV will not replace ground-mounted or rooftop solar. But even a fraction of its technical potential could meaningfully boost India&#8217;s renewable capacity without adding pressure on land.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India does not lack sunlight or canals \u2014 it lacks the financing and standardisation to link the two at scale. CTPV shows that clean energy need not always compete with agriculture or habitation for land.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turning canal water into a power asset, rather than just a resource in transit, is a quiet but meaningful opportunity waiting to be prioritised.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/india-vast-canal-network-offers-land-free-path-solar-power\/article71494964.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/science\/a-half-mile-solar-strip-floats-above-an-irrigation-canal-in-gujarat-generating-1-6-million-kilowatt-hours-of-power-while-saving-2-38-million-gallons-of-water-from-evaporation\/articleshow\/133088197.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ToI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canal-top photovoltaics can generate solar power while saving land and reducing water evaporation, offering India a large but underused renewable energy opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":125807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[10432,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-125784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-canal-top-photovoltaics","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125784"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125803,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125784\/revisions\/125803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}