Solar power for 25 government schools, 10 hospitals

NEW DELHI: The Delhi environment department has identified 25 government schools and 10 government hospitals that will get independent solar power systems.

The pilot project is looking at generating 500kW of power through rooftop solar photovoltaic cells under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Environment secretary Sanjiv Kumar said the department had sent a proposal to the union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and was expecting financial support from it under the off-grid decentralized scheme. "If the project is approved, MNRE will finance 30% of the cost and the rest of the expenditure will be borne by the Delhi government," he said.

According to officials, Delhi does not have much scope in renewable energy and, therefore, rooftop solar projects are the only viable option.

"Due to severe shortage of open space, even solar panels are not such a convenient option for the city so we will have to use whatever space is available. In that scenario, even small projects like this one are a positive step. This project will also not fully meet the requirement of each establishment but will form a small part of it. Hence, it will be fully utilized by the identified establishments and there will not be anything extra to feed into the grid," said a source.

Officials said each of the government schools would get a 10kW panel while the hospitals will get a 25kW panel each. The school and hospital projects will cost Rs 6.75 crore each, bringing the total cost to Rs 13.14 crore. "If MNRE approves the project, it will assist us to the tune of Rs 3.8 crore. We should get the approval in another month or so and will be able to finalize the project soon after that. From that point, it will take us eight-odd months to set up the panels and start producing power," said an official.

Officials said the project would be executed by the energy department of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) named DSIIDC Energy Ltd.

Some of the hospitals that have been shortlisted for the project include Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Deen Dayal Upadhay Hospital, Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Guru Nanak Eye Centre and Dr Jagjivan Ram Hospital.