In an attempt to tap solar power potential, the Tiruchi Corporation has begun work to set up rooftop solar power system on all Corporation-owned buildings.
The move would significantly reduce power consumption of the buildings and also set an example for the public to follow, officials say.
The Tiruchi City Corporation had, in October 2018, obtained the required permission from the State and Central governments to install solar power plants atop corporation buildings.
As many 206 buildings have been identified for putting up solar power panels at a cost of ₹6.44 crore and work to set up the modules have begun. “Civil work has been completed in nearly 162 buildings and work on mounting the panels are ongoing. Soon, the buildings will all run on solar power," said S. Amudhavalli, City Engineer, Tiruchi Corporation.
The Corporation spends nearly ₹1.35 crore per year for consuming nearly 17.15 lakh kWh of electricity per year.
“The power generated by the 206 buildings combined- would be about 12.13 kWh per year. The amount saved would be nearly ₹77 lakh and the energy conservation would help in several ways,” Ms. Amudhavalli said. “Through the success of our plan, we can show the public ways to conserve energy and money,” she added.
A Chennai-based contractor has been given the work of setting up the rooftop solar panels which will power the lights, fans and meet other electricity needs in the buildings. Work to connect inverters will also be undertaken after basic tests are conducted.
The 206 buildings identified consist of 64 schools, 21 primary health centres, 30 office buildings including zonal offices, 35 toilet complexes, seven underground drainage pumping stations and 49 other buildings.
According to the Smart City Mission, cities will require to meet at least 10% of their energy requirement with solar power.
As the development of India’s renewed smart cities speeds up, so will their energy requirement – and, consequently, the development of solar power capacity in these cities, also.
The Smart City Mission envisages ushering in smart energy systems by way of co-generation and renewable energy systems, setting up of smart meters, and assured electricity supply across the city.
The mission also specifies solar power generation within the city, especially for street lighting, pumping water, traffic signals and solar road studs/blinkers.
As part of the city’s solar power plan, a Solar Park is being established at Panjapur, on Tiruchi-Madurai highway. Once the park is completed, the civic body will approach TANGEDCO for supplying energy generated at the park to its grid, officials said.
