Solar power consumption in TN touches new high on first day of the year

January 1, 2023 saw Tamil Nadu’s solar consumption touching a new high with the day’s heat increasing due to the non-availability of rain-bearing clouds.

According to power consumption data, solar power consumption on Sunday (January 1) touched 31 million units at 1 pm. The previous highest solar power consumption in Tamil Nadu was on December 31, 2022 when it was 29.3 million units.

“We were able to evacuate more solar power as the generation was pretty high and at 1 pm, the power generation was 4,317 MW and the previous maximum generation was 4,140 MW on December 22 last year,” says TNEB chairman, Rajesh Lakhoni, in his tweet.

Tamil Nadu’s solar power capacity, including that of rooftops, is 6,039.66 MW.

More solar power leads to less burning of coal

Solar power generation starts on a clear day from 6 am and touches a peak at 2 pm. “In the coming days, we expect the solar power generation to increase, and based on the availability, we will evacuate solar power as it will prevent the burning of coal,” said Lakhoni.

Also read: TN govt acquires 3,273 acres of land in 6 districts to set up solar parks

Despite being winter months, the total power demand in Tamil Nadu is around 14,500 MW and the demand is high during the day and evening time. The availability of solar power during day time saves coal burning.