Chandigarh:Committee seeks power load enhancement

Dushyant Singh Pundir

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Chandigarh, July 28

To install solar panels on the rooftops of all government houses, the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Committee (CREST) has written to the UT Engineering Department to increase the sanctioned power load of all those houses, which have load less than 2 kW.

There are many government houses with sanctioned power load from 0.5 to 1 kW.

According to officials of CREST, a solar power plant would be viable only at a house with the sanctioned load of, at least, 2 kW.

To make Chandigarh a solar city, the UT Administration has set a target of installing solar power plants atop all government houses by the end of this year. People living in government houses will not have to spend money from their pocket on the installation of solar power plants and power produced would be used by them free of cost. The cost of installation would be borne by CREST under the Central scheme.

There are a total of 5,611 government houses of different types in the city, of which solar plants have been installed on 2,782. The solar plants are being set up under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijali Yojana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13 had announced the scheme with the aim of providing 300 units of electricity free of cost every month to one crore households under the scheme. Most of the government houses are located in Sectors 7, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 27.

The administration has shortlisted a total of 30 companies. Under the scheme, a private house would get benefit from the Central Finance Assistance up to a maximum of Rs 78,000 in the installation of 3 kW plant, which costs nearly Rs 1.50 lakh.

Nearly 2,800 households have registered for the scheme in the city so far.

Last year, Chandigarh got the first prize in solar energy generation in the UT category. Such plants have also been installed on the rooftops of all government schools.