Raipur city is among the nine other cities chosen by the Centre last year among the ‘Pilot Solar Cities’ for implementation of its ambitious ‘Development of Solar Cities Programme’, according to the annual report of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for 2013-14.
The other eight cities chosen for ‘Pilot Solar Cities’ programmes were-Rajkot, Faridabad, Shimla, Thane, Shirdi, Aizwal, Amritsar and Agartala.
As per the report, the development of the ‘Solar Cities Programme’ aims at minimum 10 per cent reduction in the projected demand of conventional energy at the end of five years, the report stated.
The aforesaid objectives are to be achieved through a combination of energy efficient measures and enhancing supply from renewable energy sources, it stated.
The Ministry assists the municipal corporations and the urban local bodies in preparation of a Master Plan for increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy supply in the city, setting up institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Master Plan and the awareness generation and capacity building activities. The Centre had set the target of supporting 60 cities/towns for development as ‘solar/green cities’.
Under the programme, during 2013-14, a total of 46 cities were sanctioned of which Master Plan of 39 cities were finalised.
A total of 15 cities are to be developed as per the modified
‘Development of ‘Solar Cities Programme’ prepared in 2014 for installation of renewable energy projects/systems with financial support upto Rs2.50 crore for each city and 8 cities as ‘Modal Solar Cities’ with financial support upto Rs9.50 crore for each city, the report stated.
The pilot project on the Grid Interactive rooftop small SPV power plant project was successfully implemented in ‘Chandigarh Model Solar City.’ This has demonstrated the feasibility of small grid connected SPV Rooftop in the country, it stated.
So far (2013-14), cumulative 6.25 MW have been sanctioned/approved under the ‘Solar City Programme’ (1.74 MW) and rooftop programme (4.51 MW) including 3.21 MWp in the year 2013-14 for Chandigarh city, the report stated.