Rapid industrialization and urbanization in India is important to make our nation a supreme power. However, it cannot be achieved at the cost of environmental degradation and increasing burden on scarce non-renewable sources of energy. What is needed are policies that can pave the way for a sustainable energy future with a primary focus on renewable power generation capacity in India. We need to meet our economic and social developmental goals while effectively addressing our energy challenges.
Several renewable energy companies in India are undertaking initiatives in collaboration with government organizations for solar power generation and other sources of renewable energy. A number of public spaces across India and ports like Visakhapatnam Port Trust are planning and executing solar power projects to meet a portion of their energy needs in a more sustainable manner. This has further boosted solar power generation capacity in India.
Let us talk about a few initiatives in recent times in this direction:
Indian Railways consume about 2% of the total power generated in India. With its objective to meet its energy needs through renewable sources such as solar, wind and biomass, the Mysore Division of South Western Railways have undertaken a wind and solar hybrid project. With an estimated cost of Rs 37.34 lakh, the project will have a 15KW capacity and is being established at Birur Station. The project is likely to produce 20,000 units of power against 1.2 lakh annual requirement of the station.
A proposal to build a similar solar and wind hybrid power station to meet the energy requirements of Chitradurga railway station is likely to be approved soon.
VPT is soon going to complete 10 MW solar power project over 50 acres of its land adjacent to the runway. The solar project is expected to generate around 150 lakh units of power by March 2016 and is already regarded as one of the biggest solar power projects in North Andhra.
In addition, VPT has also established a 100-KW rooftop solar power plant at the Golden Jubilee Port Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Another 500 KW rooftop solar power project at the VPT Sports Complex in the city, is currently at its feasibility study phase.
The CPWD (Central Public Works Department of India) has successfully initiated and participated in several grid interactive roof-top solar power projects in major cities across the country. As part of these initiatives rooftop solar panels are installed in prominent public buildings such as Sewa Bhawan, Transport Bhawan, Pushpa Bhawan, Nirman Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, and many more in New Delhi; GPOA Shastri Bhawan, GPOA Rajaji Bhawan, Income Tax Department, and few more in Chennai. In total, all these solar projects collectively represent a 1972 KWp of power generation capacity in India.
It is evident that India is making committed attempts to move towards a more sustainable energy future. A prominent role is being played by Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs) in India that provide energy to consumers from renewable sources such as solar photo voltaic, wind power or micro hydro.
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