Chandigarh: 2 more solar plants to come up in Sector 39

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, January 6

To enhance the share of green energy, the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) has set in motion the process to set up two more floating solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants of a total capacity of 3 MWp (megawatt peak) at the Sector 39 waterworks here.

Efficient and cost effective

• In floating plants, solar panels are deployed on surface of water bodies
• It is an innovative way to harness solar rays falling on the water bodies and to conserve water
• Less expensive, floating arrays achieve higher efficiencies as water cools down the panels

After getting green signal from the UT Administration, the society invited applications from agencies to set up two plants of 1.5 MWp each, said an official of CREST.

He said the power plants would be set up on two storage tanks (Nos. 5 and 6) at the waterworks at a cost of nearly Rs 17.80 crore, including 10-year operations and maintenance (O&M) cost. In January last year, North India’s largest floating solar project of 2MWp was commissioned at the Sector 39 waterworks along with another one of 500kWp at a lake in Dhanas.

The plant at the waterworks was installed at a cost of Rs 11.70 crore, including 10-year O&M cost. The 500kWp plant along with fountains at Dhanas lake was built for Rs 3.34 crore, including 10-year O&M cost. These projects have been generating a minimum of 35 lakh units (kWh) of solar energy per year with 20 per cent module efficiency.

It was decided that 70 per cent of the revenue generated from the 2MWp plant would be deposited in the government treasury and the balance 30 per cent to be given to the Municipal Corporation.

The 2MWp floating power plant has been generating 28 lakh units annually, earning an annual revenue of nearly Rs 1.38 crore. The entire project was funded by CREST. Of the total revenue, nearly Rs 97.21 lakh is going to the Administration and the MC is getting its share of nearly Rs 41.66 lakh.

The official said Chandigarh was a land-locked city and rooftop solar plants were the only option for green electricity generation. The floating plants helped conserve valuable space of the city and also lowered evaporation loss to meet the water needs of 20,000 people annually, he added.

Meanwhile, the Administration failed to achieve an ambitious target of 75 MWp of renewable energy by December 31 last year. So far, about 63.59 MWp of solar energy is being generated from the installed projects, including rooftop solar plants, in the city. During a recent meeting, the Administration decided to add 25MWp capacity to its solar power generation in 2024-25.

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