India Develops First Solar Park at Charanka Village

Black & Veatch was appointed by developer AES Solar as the Owner’s Engineer for a 15 megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) plant located at Charanka Village in Gujarat, India. The plant is part of the country's first multi-developer, multi-technology solar park, bringing clean energy to the region. Spread across 5,000 acres, the solar park includes 500 MW of solar and wind energy generation capacity.

Black & Veatch was selected for the project because of the company’s expertise in solar PV technology, including plant performance forecasting, review of plant designs and familiarity with Indian market. AES Solar also selected Black & Veatch to serve in a similar role for a 5 MW solar PV project in Rajasthan, which was completed on time and on budget.

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Complying with Regulations

Black & Veatch assessed major aspects of plant design. The company also provided insight into local development challenges by validating the Owner’s existing standard PV plant design documents against requirement documents. This provided assurance that applicable Indian regulations and codes, as well as engineering and construction practices, were accounted for. Black & Veatch also monitored construction progress, helping to ensure the quality of the field work. Integration with the power grid required Black & Veatch to collaborate with local representatives to ensure switchyard design met local grid codes.

The Solar Park at Charanka Village is one of the fast-track projects that Black & Veatch has executed in India. The new plant was commissioned in 2012.

Black & Veatch’s integrated and multidisciplinary global expertise was applied locally to complete this project. Today, the company’s presence in India is felt through its Mumbai and Pune offices that serve as local platforms for providing reliable world-class infrastructure solutions.