Solar panels on buildings mooted

Thiruvananthapuram: The power department may make it mandatory for all new residential buildings with a plinth area of 3,000 sq feet and above to install solar power plant with a minimum capacity of 1 KW. If the decision is implemented, an additional Rs 50,000-Rs 1.5 lakh will have to be shelled out to construct a normal middle-class house.

The department has already brought out the Energy Conservation Directions (ECD) elaborating conservation measures. ECD enjoins upon KSEB Limited to deny power connection to households not complying with this new conservation standard.

In fact, as per the ECD, existing buildings, with 3000 sq ft or more floor area, will have to install a solar plant of 1 kW capacity within a period of one year once a notification is issued for meeting partial, or full electrical energy requirements. These guidelines have been issued as part of rationalising the use of electrical energy.

Smaller households too have to meet certain conservation standards. “All new domestic buildings having a floor area of 2,000 sq. feet to 3,000 sq. feet should install 500 MW solar power systems,” the ECD states. This would cost between Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000. What’s more, the hot water requirements of new buildings having a floor area of 2,000 sq. feet or above should mandatorily be met using solar water heaters with a minimum size of 100 litre.

Considering the gluttony of inverters, the ECD states that all grid-charged inverters must be converted to solar charging. Grid-charging should be resorted to only as an emergency back-up.

Households have also been asked to provide automatic facility to avoid charging of inverters from grid during peak period. The ECD also authorises KSEB Limited to check and verify whether solar plants have been installed before granting power connection.