Delhi schools, which have installed solar panels on rooftops, will not just save money but also earn as they sell surplus electricity
Bengaluru: Solar energy can be harnessed to work wonders!
The central government has fully understood its potential. The Delhi government, using the Union government’s scheme, has installed 150 solar panels on the rooftops of as many as 150 schools.
This means that the schools can save Rs 433 crore. This will indeed be a boon as the schools struggle to meet the high maintenance costs.
The total capacity would be 21MW. This will enable the schools to save Rs 8.8 crore, and at the same time, earn Rs 8.5 crore by selling surplus electricity.
The life cycle of the projects will be 25 years and the savings will be in proportion to this life cycle.
As an example, the Times of India quoted The West Vinod Nagar government school, located in deputy CM Manish Sisodia's constituency. It houses India's largest rooftop solar project with a capacity of 195kWp (kilowatt peak) built by Delhi-based Oakridge Energy. The project will save the school Rs 8 lakh in power bill and yield earnings of Rs 7.7 lakh a year.
What is more heartening to note is that the schools don’t have to spend any money to invest.
It is also important to note that the Delhi government itself identified government school buildings for the installation.
“Unlike other states that tell developers to find government buildings for solarisation, the Delhi government identified the schools, thrashed out bid norms and draft contract with them before floating the tender. As the contracts were pre-approved, there was no hitch in signing after the tenders were awarded,” the website quoted an executive of a company as saying.
Apart from a few glitches in the installation, all thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, it is indeed a happy story.
This also goes on to show how states can effectively utilise central government schemes.
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