The Adani solar plant in Tamil Nadu allegedly transports 2 lakh litres of fresh water daily to clean the solar modules. Contractors have been hired to illegally transfer the water to the 2,500 acres establishment, alleged local villagers Each of the solar panels are 125 ft long and 28 ft wide and require a daily scrubbing to work efficiently.
A first look at the Adani solar power plant has a feel-good effect about the country's progress toward solar and renewable energy. However, the next question that pops up is 'at what cost?' Spread over a whopping 2,500 acres in Kamuthi taluk of Tamil Nadu, the solar power plant needs 2 lakh litres of fresh water every day to clean its 25 lakh solar modules.
In a parched state like Tamil Nadu, this much water is only an illusion for huge numbers of people. Villagers in the area say that the water is sourced illegally from borewells 5 kms away and district authorities are not even aware of this transaction. Villagers claim the borewells are located near the already-dried Gundar riverbed on Kamuthi-Mudukulathur road at Kottai Medu. These function round the clock to fill up the 6,000-8,000 litre tanks that are attached to tractors, villagers say.
Close to 40 such tractors are alleged to have been contracted by the Adani Green Energy (TN) for cleaning the giant solar panels. Each of the panels are 125 ft long and 28 ft wide. Two contract labourers have been hired to fetch the water and clean the panels. Fresh water has to be used because cleaning the panels with dirty water could drop the production by 25%.
Speaking to the New Indian Express, the plant's security head, S K Sharma said that they were not drawing or buying borewell water directly. Since cleaning work has been outsourced, it is the responsibility of the contractors to arrange for the water.
Meanwhile, a revenue officer in the Taluk confirmed, "No person or company has got permission to sell the groundwater, but they are selling it to contractors to clean the solar modules.”
Local NTK leader Seeman accused the state government of providing all the support to Adani's group, right from the acquisition of land to setting up an exclusive sub station of TANTRASCO. Threatening to protest, he said, "But the company has now started exploiting the water source."
Here's a video, just to give a fair idea of how solar panels are cleaned and why the water needed for the purpose has to be clean.
