A total of 129 Social Welfare hostels are likely to be equipped with grid-connected rooftop solar panels, for which proposals are pending with the Government. They will be part of the 50 Megawatt solar target sought to be achieved this year by the Telangana Government.
Managing Director of the Telangana New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation Limited (TNREDCL), A. Sudhakar Rao announced this at a press conference organised on Tuesday.
To achieve the 10 Gigawatts of non-conventional energy target fixed for Telangana, the State Government is looking for innovative ways to employ systems suitable for Telangana’s conditions, which includes study of hybrid systems combining two or more renewable energy sources.
Begins with Raj Bhavan
Rooftop systems are being established on government buildings, with Raj Bhavan set to go fully solar from February 17. Off-grid, solar panels of six megawatts have been fixed for 6,000 consumers.
So far, agreements for about 3,000 MW of in-situ solar generation have been signed, and 1000 MW has been achieved by attaching the generation with substations of both discoms, Mr. Sudhakar Rao informed.
Study is being done on efficacy of solar pump-sets to extract water from depths and a pilot project will be taken up in clusters attaching 20 pump-sets each for 20 distribution transformers.
Proposals have been sent to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for distribution of 300 Watts solar packages among 2.5 lakh below-poverty-line families, for household needs. One more proposal is to install solar street lights with LED lamps in panchayats, to reduce power bills. So far, 7,000 applications have been received towards this, and the scheme will be implemented with funds from MPLADS.
Micro, mini grids
Another target is to establish micro (up to 10 KW) and mini (between 10 KW and 50 KW) solar grids of one megawatt in areas of low accessibility. A team will soon leave for Vatuvarlapally village in Amrabad Tiger Reserve to study the feasibility of setting up a mini grid there, Mr. Sudhakar Rao said.
Solar expo
He also informed about ‘Pro Solar India 2017’, a solar expo to be conducted on February 18 and 19 at Hitex Exhibition Centre.
Organised by Eco Sure, and supported by TNREDCL and TSIIC, the event will bring various industry heads, professionals, policy makers, companies, scientists, researchers and financial community under one roof, besides showcasing solar appliances.
For more information on the same, one may contact K.S. Murthy at ‘ecosure789@gmail.com’.
