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Good response to Central move on installation of solar heater system

Photo: T. Singaravelou

POWER PLANS: T.C. Tripathi, Adviser, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (second from right), N. Muthukumar, vice-president, TTK-LIG Limited (third from right) and D. Selvi, project director, Renewable Energy Agency, Puducherry, at a function on Wednesday. —

PUDUCHERRY: There has been an overwhelming response from civic bodies to the Centre’s initiative to amend building bylaws to make the installation of solar heater system in functional structures mandatory, according to T.C. Tripathi, Adviser, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (NRE).

Following a directive issued by the Ministry of Urban Development to Corporations and municipalities to amend building bylaws, to make solar heater system for functional structures such as hospitals, top-end hotels and public utility buildings mandatory, around 30 civic bodies had complied with the decision, Mr. Tripathi said. He was speaking at a meet on ‘Industrial application on solar air heating’ here on Wednesday.

The NRE Ministry gave Rs. 10 lakh as incentive to the civic bodies for carrying out the amendments, and it had helped the promotion of solar power heaters in the country, he said. The initiative was being looked upon by many civic bodies as a way of increasing their revenue, he added.

Referring to the Ministry’s initiative to promote solar energy, he said that recently a decision was taken to extend financial support for Grid Interactive Solar Power Generation Projects in the country. The Ministry would consider extending support for a maximum capacity of up to 50 MW during the 11th Five Year Plan, he added.

Mr. Tripathi said the Ministry would extend a maximum of Rs. 12 a KW to eligible projects through the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency after taking into account the power purchase rate provided by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The Ministry had taken up the initiative to reduce the cost of the grid connected solar system and that of the solar power system, he said.

Mr. Tripathi said that they had set a target to produce 14,000 MW of power through renewable energy during the 11th Five Year Plan. As much as 6,000 MW of power was generated from renewable energy sources during the 10th Five Year Plan as against the target of 4,000 MW, he added.

Around 70 per cent of power generated through renewable sources was through wind energy, he said, adding that the remaining came from solar energy.

He appealed to various stakeholders to take advantage of the financial assistance provided to promote solar thermal technologies. Of the Rs. 600 crore allocated to the Ministry, more than 70 per cent had been distributed as incentives for promoting renewable energy sources, he said. The meeting was jointly held by the Renewable Energy Agency of Puducherry and Planters Energy Network.

D. Selvi, project director of REA, Puducherry; C. Palaniappan, general secretary, PEN; and N. Muthukumar, vice-president (operation), TTK-LG; spoke at the function.

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