In a first, the Space Application Center (SAC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed an agreement with asubsidiary of the Adani Group to provide solar insolation data from its satellites. As per the agreement signed between SAC-ISRO and Adani Green Energy Limited, the former will provide information about daily solar radiation — including the quality and quantity of radiation — that is required for solar power generators to determine level of production.
At present the company pays foreign companies for this data. In the agreement signed on May 13, SAC-ISRO will grant the company access to data from its Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data archive center (MOSDAC). Confirming the signing, Tapan Misra, director of SAC said, “SAC will provide data collected from the INSAT-3DR, INSAT-3D and Kalpana-1 satellites to Adani Green Energy Limited, as per the agreement. The company will pay us for this data.”
Sources from the company, meanwhile, said, “Since the company is working towards increasing solar power production, the data we receive from SAC-ISRO will help us maneuver the solar panels as per energy requirement. Solar power generators require data of radiation in order to maintain the temperature of solar panels at 35°Centigrade for optimum output. Excessive heating of solar panels causes reduction in power generation so having data in hand helps maintain the temperature.” Adani Green Energy Limited currently operates 760MW solar power plants spread across three locations in the country. The company intends to expand the same to 2000MW.
Young Blood
SAC is said to have tied up with 37 universities from the country, including the Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar, to enlist students in the process of understanding, analysis and research of data collected by the IRNSS satellites. As part of the programme, students from the selected institutes will learn how to use and read the data.
Source:AM
