After scaling up its efforts to promote solar energy and taking huge strides in execution of solar power projects, the urban city of Chandigarh
will now enlighten other States/Union Territories on energy conservation.
Chandigarh is all set to host country’s first national solar city meet be held on June 20 here. The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has asked the UT Administration to host the national meet and showcase UT’s achievements and progress in ‘model solar city’
project. The senior functionaries of MNRE, representatives from all states/union territories of the country will participate in the national meet to be held at Hotel Shivalikview here.
The nation’s first solar city meet will also bring together leading experts from broad spectrum of energy conservation stakeholders including environmental organisations, consultants, research institutes,
industries, manufacturers, among others.
The national meet will focus on the issues including examining the progress of solar projects in India, identifying critical issues, latest technologies, saving goals, thereby preparing energy conservation policies and programs.
The experts would also deliberate upon methods to successfully push solar programs across the country to achieve energy conservation goals. At the national meet, the Union
Territory of Chandigarh will showcase its progress, future plans regarding ‘model solar city’ project and its innovative ideas adopted to promote solar energy here. Notably, the ambitious project of developing Chandigarh as a ‘model solar city’ was formally launched by the then Union Minister MNRE Farooq Abdullah in the year 2012. Since then, Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), established for the promotion of renewable energy programme, has managed to executive a large number of solar power projects here.
Also, Chandigarh has become the first city in the country to provide its residents an opportunity to estimate the potential capacity of SPV power plant that could be installed on the rooftop of their houses.
A first-of-its-kind cloud based open-source Web-GIS Tool for estimating rooftop solar power potential for Chandigarh has been recently launched and is available on CREST website.
While talking to The Pioneer, Santosh Kumar, CEO of CREST and Director, UT Science and Technology Department said, “The first ever “National Solar city Meet” to be held in the country would be organised in Chandigarh on June 20.
MNRE has issued directions to UT Administration in this regard.”
“Considering the performance of the UT Administration in implementation of solar power projects, the MNRE has chosen Chandigarh to host the first national meet. At the national meet, other stakeholders would be apprised about the performance of Chandigarh’s ‘model solar city’ project and the innovative ways adopted and proposed by CREST to promote solar power. A presentation on this will be given…,” he said.
The MNRE had chosen Chandigarh in the year 2008 for developing it into a solar city. But, the project gained momentum in 2012 when MNRE approved UT Administration’s solar city master plan.
Under UT Administration’s master plan, grid interactive solar voltage power plant (GISVPP) will be installed in all major Government buildings here and steps would be taken to promote use of solar energy in residential areas.