SunEdison commissions 1MW canal top solar project in Karnataka

SunEdison today said it has commissioned one MW canal top solar project on the banks of Krishna river in Karnataka.
"SunEdison commissioned one MW canal top solar power plant built for Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam, the Karnataka government agency responsible for the Krishna river and dam," the company said in a statement.
In canal top solar systems, which are built over water canals, solar generated electricity saves large amounts of water compared to fossil fuel generated electricity and also provides more water by shielding the canals from the direct sun and hence reducing evaporation, the company said.
Additionally, canal top systems free up the surrounding land for other uses.

Canal top systems operate at cooler temperatures than conventional land based systems and generate more energy as a result, it said.