The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Solar city’ to come up in Bangalore

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Wednesday, Jun 24, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Solar city’ to come up in Bangalore

Special Correspondent

Project expected to start in about six months
Additional power to be fed to State grid

BANGALORE: Bangalore will soon have a “solar city” within itself. Karnataka is set to embark on a green power initiative called the “solar city” project, said to be the first of its kind in the country, under which 10,000 houses in a chosen locality will have roof-top solar photovoltaic panels installed with support from the Centre.

Disclosing this to presspersons here on the sidelines of a discussion-meeting on the “Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Series on Technology and Society” organised by the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Environment and Good Governance Trust (EGGT), Principal Secretary, Energy Department, K. Jairaj said the implementation of the project was likely to start in about six months.

The plan is to install photovoltaic panels with a capacity of 2 kW to 5 kW on roofs of every house in the chosen locality.

The energy produced will be used by households for their daily requirements. Excess energy will be pumped into the State grid.

Mr. Jairaj said the proposal had already been discussed with the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdulla who had agreed to extend support.

The Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (C-STEP), a non-profit research organisation set up by noted scientist V.S. Arunachalam, has been asked to prepare a workable model for implementing the project, he said.

State-owned Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. will help house owners to get soft loans from banks.

The cost of the solar panels and the project will have to be worked out after C-STEP prepares a project model, Mr. Jairaj explained.

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