Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has won an EPC contract for the installation of a 75 MW solar PV power plant in Gujarat, India. When complete, it will be BHEL’s largest solar PV project to date.
The power plant will be installed at the Charanka solar park located in the Patan district of Gujarat. To date, 214 MW have been commissioned at Charanka.
PV magazine reported that the order, placed by Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL), will bring BHEL’s solar portfolio to 545 MW. The company is presently executing over 150 MW of ground-mounted and rooftop solar PV projects across the country.
Over the past three decades, BHEL has contributed to India’s national initiatives for developing and promoting renewable energy-based products.
For instance, the company has increased its manufacturing lines of solar cells to 105 MW, and modules to 226 MW, per annum. In addition, space-grade solar panels using high efficiency cells and space-grade battery panels are being manufactured at its Electronic Systems Division, in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Moreover, BHEL offers EPC solutions for off-grid PV and has set up plants in various locations in India, including the Lakshadweep Islands, for island electrification. The company is one of the few firms in India whose solar business is backed by a dedicated research and development (R&D) team.
BHEL is also venturing into lithium-ion cell manufacturing, for which it has signed a technology transfer agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
