Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur recently inaugurated its first grid-connected solar power plant. It has a 35 KW capacity and located on the rooftop of the Department of Environmental Science and Technology.
विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग में स्थापित (35 किलोवाट ऑन ग्रिड) सौर ऊर्जा संयंत्र का शुभारम्भ किया
यह ऊर्जा बचत का एक उचित विकल्प बन सकता है ! pic.twitter.com/oJPbILdicQ— Jairam Thakur (@jairamthakurbjp) April 6, 2018
The solar power plant is expected to meet the energy demands of the building and the remaining power will be sold to the State Electricity Board. According to reports, the plant was completed at the total estimated cost of Rs 20 lakh and has a sustainability of 25 years. It is expected to save the Department of Science and Technology an estimated Rs 2.6 lakhs a year.
The Chief Minister stated, “Solar plants not only save energy but also help in environmental conservation. The plant will recover its installation and other expenditure within four to five years. Each one of us should adopt solar power based technologies. We all can contribute towards saving energy and to a great extent meet the ever-increasing demand of the world,”
The CM added that his government will encourage and facilitate the setting up of such plants not only in government buildings but also in private properties.
The Director of the Department of Science and Technology, DC Rana stated that a total of 112 solar panels with 1315 watt capacity each have been installed at the facility and it will result in considerable savings in the future.
The private enterprises, which set up the plant stated that the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board has set up bi-directional meters in the building premises for measurement of total inflow and outflow from the solar plant to the main grid.
The central government has been pushing for major reforms in the energy sector and several steps have been taken to make renewable energy easily and widely available. From earlier Rs 14 to 16 per unit, the tariff for solar power has been dropped to a mere 2,97 Rs per unit.
