Acme Energy Solutions, a renewable energy company of Gurgaon has decided to develop India's first 100MW solar thermal power plant. According to the executive vice president of the company, N. Venkataraman, Acme has not yet decided over the location of the plant but will be probably set up either in Rajasthan or Gujarat within a year. Mr Venkataraman informed that Acme will supply electricity at a cost of around Rs 8 per unit, which is supposed to be lowest power cost in comparison to other thermal plants. Venkataraman has revealed all those information at the sidelines of the 14th Technology Summit and Technology Platform.

 

Venkataraman stressed the need of shifting from conventional sources of energy to renewable sources. The country's electricity demand can not be fulfilled properly by simply depending on conventional energy sources. He added that electricity from coal currently contributes only about 5,000MW, while the country is short by 20,000MW. According to the ministry of new and renewable energy sources, around 5 trillion kilowatt hour of solar energy can produced in India.

 

Unlike usual solar power pants, in solar thermal energy plants, sunlight is reflected off concave mirrors or lenses to heat oil in metal tubes, which is then used to generate electricity. Such plants requires significant amount of sunlight, so it important they are put in arid areas or deserts where a large area is covered with mirrors or lenses to access sunlight.