Solar panels atop Centre buildings, airports soon

New Delhi: With the government aiming to get 40,000 MW of power through installation of rooftop solar projects by 2022, the urban development ministry will soon make it compulsory for government buildings to install solar panels on their rooftops to achieve this target.

Sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed all ministries to give this project top priority. Setting up of solar panels on all government buildings will be taken up by the CPWD, which will issue an order soon.

The government hopes to generate 4,000 MW of power through rooftop solar projects by the end of this fiscal, the sourcex added. By 2022, around 8,000 railway stations and all airports across India will have such installations.

The PM is said to have directed top railway and civil aviation ministry officials to speed up work on this. Some prominent government buildings in New Delhi like Shastri Bhavan (that houses a slew of ministries like I&B, HRD, social justice, law, coal and sports, among others), already have rooftop solar panels, and work is going on in several other installations.

The government is also offering financial assistance for other buildings — residential, institutional and social sector — to install similar panels. Institutional buildings include those of schools, colleges, hospitals and research facilities. Community centres and welfare homes will also be covered.

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