Tapping solar energy from everywhere possible

City has rooftop solar potential of 1,730 MW; can contribute to India’s solar goals

The city has a rooftop solar potential of 1,730 MW of which 1,193 MW can be generated from residential areas. This could lead to a reduction of power demand in the city by approximately 15%.

Joint effort
These were some of the observations of the study Rooftop Revolution: Unleashing Hyderabad’s Solar Potential, a joint effort of Greenpeace India and Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute.

The study conducted in areas under 18 circles of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation – in categories such as residential, commercial and transportation, among others – showed that apart from the residential sector, about 178 MW can be tapped from areas under the public and semi-public-use category.

With India announcing a goal of 40 GW from rooftop solar sources by 2020, 1.73 GW (1,730MW) can be contributed from Hyderabad.

The city has landmarks that can be utilised to generate rooftop solar power. These include structures on the Osmania University campus, both airports in the city, railway stations, Hyderabad Metro Rail stations and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s bus depots.

The study underscored that despite the existing policies in the State, the deployment of rooftop solar photovoltaic was poor.

Greenpece India Climate and Energy Campaigner Pujarini Sen pointed out the need to switch to solar energy. This, she said, would reduce dependence on coal as a source of energy.

The report also noted that the State had a total installed rooftop solar photovoltaic capacity of 54 MW by 2017 and the estimated rooftop solar photovoltaic capacity in the city was 34 MW.

“There is lack of awareness as well as lack of financial options for house-owners. For any appliance, making a one-time payment of, say, ₹2 lakh may prove difficult. It would be good if a four or five-year payment option is available,” said Harsha Yadav from Zolt Energy.

Original: STAFF REPORTER HYDERABAD, APRIL 12, 2018 00:14 IST / http://www.thehindu.com