KWA to tap solar power to slash power bills

July 30, 2019 11:27 pm | Updated 11:27 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The Irrigation Department and the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) are turning sunward to slash power bills.

The KWA will collaborate with the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) and the Irrigation Department, with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) for establishing solar power projects, it was decided at a meeting convened by Water Resources Minister K. Krishnankutty on Tuesday.

As part of the initiative, the Minister inaugurated a 25-kW (kilowatt), grid-connected solar power plant at Jala Bhavan, the KWA headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday. In Thiruvananthapuram city alone, the KWA has three other solar power projects under construction.

This include a 100-kW project atop the KWA water tank at Thirumala, a 100-kW plant at Attukal and a 60-kW project atop the tank at Observatory. KWA has provided administrative sanction for ₹2.83 crore for establishing the solar projects.

At present, the cash-strapped KWA is spending ₹23 crore every month on power bills alone. In fact, the KWA owes the KSEB approximately ₹1,500 crore in electricity charges. The government-run water utility plans to install similar solar power plants in its buildings in other districts also.

The Irrigation Department plans to install solar panels on its project sites across the state. The Minister on Tuesday instructed officers to prepare a detailed project report in consultation with the KSEB.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.