In a year, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will be using solar power for street lights, water pumping, treatment plants, administrative buildings, hospitals, public health centres, libraries and community among others. By doing so, it will be saving Rs 60 lakhs of its over Rs100 crore annual power bill.
The NMC electric department has floated expression of interest inviting private agencies for execution of the project in all 10 zones. The process of issuing work orders and handing over sites is likely to take four months.
The private companies will have to install the solar panels and related infrastructure, and generate power within eight months. They will have to operate and maintain the system for 20 years. The estimated cost of setting up the system is around Rs300 crore and itwill be set up under MSEDCL’s net metering and open access system.
The major highlight of the project will be setting up of systems for street lights for which there are around 2,300 connections/meters. The connections will now be brought down to 1,500.
The NMC will install solar panels 10 metres above the road parallel to street light poles. A majority of the panels will come up on road-dividers and some will be along the roads. Panels will also be set up on the roofs of its properties and next to open spaces like water treatment plants, pumping stations, administrative offices, hospitals, libraries and community halls.