3 l- I a*z-o Nellore deal or solar nergy ffi hrpeft advises gainst he shte plans o go n for canal op solar power 4sl n case of Nellorc district, the potential is 5.15 kwh/gq.m as agalnst the hlghest ot ?.27 kwh/sq.m In Anantapur. In case of Gunturi the prcspect is 4.95 kwh/sq.m. ek The investment to produce power system is (17.50 cr to generato IMW as against (12 cr for plants on waste tand and ? cr for tap- ping wind enelgy. The high cost canal top solar system is not lustified when land is available.', district is far more than in. Anantapur while referring to wasteland percentage o the extent of 37.61 er cent out of total land in Nellore dis- trict as against 16.9 n Anantapur, L4.72 in Guntur and 21.97 pe r cent n Kurnool. Pointing to the need for water to keep the solar panels clean for huge solar PV power DC CORRESPONDENT NELLORE, CT.30 Nellore can be a poten- tial district to harness solar energy in view of abundant sunshine and vast wasteland'area n the,district. The estimated poten- tial as per solar iiradia- tion data in AP is from 5 to 7 kilowatt hour per square metre in Andhra Pradesh. which is oneof the few states with more number of sunny days. In case of Nellore dis- trict, the potential s 5.15 kwh/sq.m as against he highest of 5.27 kwh/sq.m in Anantapur. In case of Guntur. the prospect is 4.95 ,kwh,/sq.m. Speaking o this news- paper, noted alternative energy scientist and founder of Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives, Dr A. Jagadeesh, said that solar irradiation in Nellore is much more than Guntur, Kadapa and Kurnool. He said that the waste- land available n Nellore plants, he said that Nellore district is far better in ground water reserves n many places compared o Anantapur. He advised against he AP government plans to go for canal top solar power similar to Narmada Canal top in Gujarat. lThe investment to producepower on canal top system is t17.50 crore to generate one Mega Watt as against {12 crore for plants on waste and and (7 for tapping wind energy The high cost canal top solar system s not usti- fied when abundant waste and is available. Dr Jagadeesh bserved. He countered the theo- ry that evaporation of water to the tune of lakhs of litres can be avoided with canal top solar system. How Evaporation i3 measured? s it from sta- tionary water water? Even in the area where the solar panels are instaLled, there is gap between panels through which evapora- tion of water takes place; With long coast n its, disposal, Andhra can go n for off- shore wind farms by undertaking wind analysis along somi: areas to identify the windy areas the senior scientist suggested.