power shortages will soon become known as the solar city

The city, which has had its share of power shortages will soon become known as the solar city if all things go as planned, a top energy department official told reporters on Tuesday. In an attempt to shift the focus from conventional sources of energy to non- conventional sources of energy, the Energy Department has planned to make one lakh roof- tops solar roof-tops, which will harness the sun’s energy. As per the plan, solar panels, which are capable of converting the sun’s energy into electricity, will be installed on top of about 1 lakh houses. “The preliminary discussions are on,” said Principal Secretary Energy, K Jairaj on Tuesday. “This is a massive first-of-itskind initiative in the country,” he added. The Department of Energy has asked the Centre for Study of Science Technology and Policy (CSTEP) to prepare a detailed report to study the feasibility of such a project. “The cost would be around Rs 1 lakh per unit of power generated,” said Jairaj. “However, it is just a preliminary estimate which may change,” he added. This technology has been used in countries like Germany. “The department is aggressively pursuing solar energy,” said Jairaj. The Energy Department has also tabled a renewable energy policy which will focus on development of renewable energy. “This is being done in order to bring about a radical change in the state’s power sector,” he added. “There are about 11 lakh families in the city. If all of them keep a solar water heater, the peak load will decrease by about 300 MW easily,” he said. The state can bear a peak load of 6,137 MW presently.

source : www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Here+comes+the+sun&artid=Yayq03fE70s=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&SEO=CSTEP,+Jairaj&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==