Kerala's Three-Tier Plan to Float Solar Power

The Kerala government is introducing a three-tier governance framework to accelerate the development of floating solar power plants across reservoirs, backwaters, and water-filled quarries.

Outlined in a Power Department order dated August 1, the new system will operate through a high-level committee, an empowered committee, and district-level committees, each with clearly defined responsibilities to streamline implementation.

The high-level committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary, will oversee key decisions such as lease rents, land allocation, approvals, and developer facilitation. It includes senior officials from the departments of Power, Finance, Water Resources, Forest, Environment, Agriculture, Fisheries, Local Self-Government, Revenue, and ANERT.

The empowered committee, led by the Additional Chief Secretary (Power), will be responsible for technical evaluations, site identification, and project monitoring.

District-level committees, headed by District Collectors, will prepare ‘land banks’ of eligible sites, identifying both government and private waterbodies for potential development.

The structure supports Kerala’s ‘Guidelines for the Installation of Floating Solar Plants’ introduced earlier this year, which promote a single-window clearance system and district-level site identification.

This initiative aligns with Kerala’s Solar Energy Policy, aiming to unlock the untapped potential of the state’s waterbodies for clean energy generation, while attracting investment in renewable infrastructure and boosting local capacity.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.