Sunny Joseph, Electricity Minister of Keralam. | Photo Credit: RK Nithin

Keralam is seriously looking at the feasibility of floating solar projects and pump storage facilities in the long run to address the power demands, Sunny Joseph, State Electricity Minister has said.

The power crisis can be addressed with innovative projects that are feasible given the State’s unique geographical and climatic conditions, he said at a round-table on “Renewable Energy Sources” at the Reimagining Keralam event.

The State has structural and operational constraints when it comes to large scale conventional solar and wind power projects due to its geographical features and consequences of climate change. It needs to look at the possibility of floating solar projects, pump storage facilities, and developing community level battery storage systems with the help of local self governing bodies, he said.

There is tremendous potential for floating solar projects in the State and it has the capacity to produce 2,000 MW power through floating solar facilities, said M.R. Narayanan, who pioneered India’s concrete-based floating solar projects on the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad.

The government should formulate a single windows clearance approach for the timely implementation of such energy projects, he said.

Conservation of energy should be integrated into policy level as it is the most practical and immediate solution for the present energy crisis in the State, said M.G. Rajamanickam, Chairman and Managing Director of KSEB.

With more households installing rooftop solar systems, consumers are not aware of the energy consumption. This calls for a system to notify consumers about power consumption and incentivise energy conservation, he said.

The conference also deliberated on how solar photovoltaic, small and medium wind, small hydropower, biomass and waste-to-energy can be integrated into a common Energy Management System.

The conference also discussed how Battery Energy Storage Systems can be demonstrated at utility, community, institutional and residential scale.

Published on September 18, 2026