The district panchayat office here on Sunday commissioned a 15-kW solar plant, forgoing the conventional battery back-up system. The new system will drastically reduce the investment envisaged on setting up energy-saving projects.
The solar panels, installed at the office building here by the public-sector KELTRON at a cost of Rs.15.25 lakh, can supply 7-8 kW power to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) grid, after meeting its requirements during working days and the entire power resource to the grid during non-working days, district panchayat secretary E.P. Rajmohan said.
Curiously, the project was envisaged to be informally commissioned nearly two months back without relying on single battery back-up system, thereby bringing down the cost from the projected Rs.35 lakh.
The office has also installed a Net Meter to calculate the electricity transmitted to and received from the KSEB.
Project prepared
The district panchayat has prepared a project for the current fiscal to energise three district hospitals, three veterinary centres, two agricultural farms, 82 high schools, 56 higher secondary schools and 14 vocational higher secondary schools, he said. The commissioning of these solar plants is projected to generate 2,000 kW power and would be able supply the surplus electricity to the KSEB grid.
The plants, proposed to be set up in select educational institutions, can supply the entire power output to the KSEB grid, particularly during summer vacation, which to a larger extent would prove to be a boon to supplement the additional power requirements during peak summer months, he said.
The district panchayat will meet the proposed project expenses out of the special budgetary allocation made for broadening solar power units across the State besides utilising from its special fund, he added.
