Tamil Nadu gears up to harness solar energy
The capacity of each project will range from 1 kWp to 500 kWp for the identified locations of the buildings concerned.
Chennai: Harnessing solar energy through roof-top panels will soon become a movement in Tamil Nadu. About 50 MW of grid connected rooftop solar systems will be installed shortly on government buildings across the state by this month-end.
The capacity of each project will range from 1 kWp to 500 kWp for the identified locations of the buildings concerned. One system may, however, comprise several rooftop units. These rooftop installations will also include a Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) net-metering facility.
It has been planned to tap 25,000 buildings, including educational institutions, which offer 2 crore square feet of rooftop space with a potential capacity of 110 MW at an outlay of Rs 940 crore. Tamil Nadu Energy Development Authority (Teda) will be the nodal agency for implementation. The agency will operate pilot projects in a few selected districts such as Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore and Salem. These would be operated by vendor on BOOT model (Build Own Operate, Transfer) basis.
Already harnessing solar power on roof-tops has become popular in the city with several high-rise apartments opting to install solar panels. “We have installed 10 KW solar power sytem atop our 13-storied apartment, S&S Sarvam, on 200 feet radial road, Pallikaranai. It is likely to generate 40 to 50 units every day and we hope to save over Rs 1.25 lakh/year on our EB bill,” a Sarvam Apartment Owners Welfare Association office-bearer told DC.
As far as solar power is concerned, the southern region outshines other states. Telangana alone has a capacity of 2,570 MW, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 2,140 MW, Tamil Nadu with 1,710 MW, and Karnataka with 1,500 MW. During 2017 alone, these four states have more capacity than Australia, South Korea and Spain.