Installation of roof-top solar power plants, solar water pumps approved

Srinagar, Oct 9: In a bid to lower the carbon footprint of the Government buildings in Jammu and Kashmir, the Administrative Council (AC), which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the installation of grid-tied rooftop solar power plants on Government buildings within Jammu city’s municipal limits by the Jammu Smart City Ltd. (JSCL).
Farooq Khan and Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisors to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
The project will be completed by March, 2023 at an estimated cost of Rs 53.10 crore, which shall be recovered at the rate of 22 percent annually on account of savings from reduced dependency on externally purchased power. These installed rooftop solar power plants will also be connected with the main power grid on a net metering basis.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government will benefit from the solar generation of approximately 20 million units of energy annually, over the project lifetime of 25 years. Additionally, the annual carbon emissions are also expected to be reduced by 16,000 tonnes.
On an enhanced scale, besides helping the energy-deficit Jammu and Kashmir in supplementing its energy needs, the model will also help DISCOMs in achieving their renewable purchase obligation (RPO) targets of 10.5% as mandated by the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Further, the Administrative Council also approved the proposal for the installation of 5000 agricultural solar pumps having a capacity range from 1 HP to 10 HP under Prime Minister’s Kissan Urja Suraksha Evam Uthaan Mahaabhiyan (PM KUSUM) scheme at an estimated project cost of Rs. 135 crore.
Under the scheme, individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP. These stand-alone pumps will be connected to the grid to feed surplus power which can be purchased by DISCOMs at a pre-decided rate so as to meet renewable purchase obligation (RPO) targets.
These pumps will provide save farmers with a reliable source of irrigation apart from preventing pollution from diesel-operated pumps.
Initially, 3000 solar pumps will be installed during the financial year 2021-2, whereas, the remaining 2000 will be taken up in the next fiscal year.
Both the projects are expected to boost employment in the Union territory by creating opportunities for engaging 1100 people in the highly skilled in business development, design, sales, procurement, and project management; semiskilled and unskilled personnel in cleaning and upkeep activities during the entire life cycles of the projects.