Thiruvananthapuram to emerge as big solar city

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government on Tuesday launched an ambitious project to turn every rooftop in Thiruvananthapuram into a solar energy-producing station, a senior official of a state-run agency said.

Through this project, the state capital is expected to become one of the largest ‘solar cities’ in the country.

The Kerala government-run Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) on Tuesday opened a three-day expo, where the public can learn, and purchase various solar energy systems to implement a central government scheme that was launched last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Smart City Mission.

“The project aims to meet all power requirements of a city from renewable energy sources. In Thiruvananthapuram, we have identified the potential for the production of 800 MW solar energy. We have identified three lakh buildings suitable for installation through the creation of a solar atlas, it can create 700 MW energy, ” Narendra Nath Velluri, Director of ANERT, told.

“The remaining 100 MW can be produced using solar street lamps and through government institutions,” he said.

Solar panel installations have already begun in 600 government buildings out of which 150 were commissioned on Tuesday, he said. He added that the remaining government buildings would be commissioned within one or two months.

“Solar panels help consumers become ‘prosumers’ (producing consumers) as their electricity bill could be zero and they could earn money by supplying power to the grid,” he said.

“A 3 KW solar system can take care of the entire power requirement for an average household. It can cost between Rs 2 to 2.5 lakh.

The central government will give a subsidy of 40 per cent for the 3 KW system. So, one can install a 3 KW solar system for Rs 1.6 lakh,” he said.

ANERT has also included bank stalls in the expo to avail of loans for solar system purchases.

“The state government is responsible for the implementation of the project. The Kerala government is also incentivising those who opt for the renewable energy option by owning up to four per cent of the interest on bank loans to purchase solar systems,” Velluri said.

In other districts, there is already a ‘Sourya’ scheme that is already rolled out to attract people to install solar energy panels on their house rooftops.

Solar panels help consumers become ‘prosumers’ as they could earn by supplying power