Renewable energy is going to play a big role
in the coming years with the government announcing the target of 'Power for All
by 2019'. India has the great potential to be a superpower in renewable space
and is currently moving into that direction. The government has set an
ambitious target of generating 175 GW power by 2022 from renewable sources,
including 100 GW from solar, of which 40 GW will be on rooftops.
Rooftop solar is expected to be mandatory
when installing rooftop projects on government and new residential buildings
across the country. Creation of 100-smart city will be a big impetus for
rooftop solar. The government has already promised to spend around Rs. 5,000
crore in five years to build rooftop solar power projects and connect them to the
national electricity network.
Composites, due to their inherent properties,
offer a sustainable solution for solar mounting structures. Lately, composites
have demonstrated value as a material of choice for mounting structures.
Recently, a Pune-based company M/S Composite
Crafts Pvt Ltd has supplied lightweight and non-corrosive GFRP mounting
structures for a 100-KW solar PV project in Solapur, Maharashtra.
According to Composite Crafts, the project
was completed in 2015 and proved to be well sustained for all weather
conditions at the site. These GFRP mounting structures also facilitate quicker
installation.
Composite Crafts has used Advantex® Fiber
Glass, Owens Corning's patented corrosion resistant ECR glass which not only
provides increased mechanical properties compared to standard E Glass but also
provides the corrosion resistance recommended by ISO 2078 for acidic
environments thereby contributing to durability of structures used in solar
rooftop.