It is common knowledge now that the non-renewable sources of energy that we still use would be depleted in the coming years, and switching to alternative sources of energy like solar, wind, or hydro energy is the need of the hour right now. And we are seeing the change happen in many places. For instance, a Surat temple switched to solar power and used the money saved to start a Sanskrit college, or even on the ground level, how a Bengaluru woman used solar energy to grill and sell corn on the city street.
As per a report in TOI, Assam’s Tezpur University has installed rooftop solar panels on 15 campus buildings which generate 90,000 kW electricity every month. The university’s Registrar Biren Das says, “We are the first academic institution to initiate the installation of megawatt-scale rooftop grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plants in the entire North-Eastern region.”
Tezpur University first institute in NE to install rooftop solar power plant https://t.co/LGg1jklL9h pic.twitter.com/9MmvQMpwzn
— Tezpur University (@TezpurUniv) August 23, 2020
The Economic Times reports a source saying, “The maximum generation in one day is 5,938 kW, and the average daily generation during this period is 2,949 kW. The university also reduced 1,614 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission due to solar power generation during this period.”
With this sustainable initiative, the university has also reportedly replaced 24% of its monthly electrical consumption and power needs from conventional modes. As per the varsity, the highest amount of electricity generated in a single month was 1,12,149 kW in August 2019.
ETEnergyworld | ‘Solar energy now provides for 24 per cent of TU’s power needs’ #TezpurUniversity #TezpurUniversityNews #TezpurUniversityEnergyNews #SolarEnergy #TezpurUniversityEnergy https://t.co/5pDOGsa0w2
— ETEnergyWorld (@ETEnergyWorld) August 21, 2020
“The university purchases electricity from Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd at the rate of Rs 6.60 per kW, whereas the solar power plant generated electricity cost is Rs 2.42 per kW. Solar rooftop scheme is much cheaper than buying electricity at commercial rates,” says Professor Sadhan Mahapatra, who is an associate in the Department of Energy. Other advantages include a reduction in electricity bill, savings in transmission and distribution, low gestation time, and saving of battery.
#Massive | Tezpur University is the first Academic Institution to initiate the installation of MW (megawatt) Scale Rooftop Grid connected Solar PV power plant in the entire North Eastern Region of the country.@TezpurUnivhttps://t.co/i4EfAqTZ2V
— Tezpur Buzz (@TezpurBuzz) August 20, 2020
In order to develop these sustainable buildings, Tezpur University had installed a 1,000-kilowatt peak (kWp) rooftop grid-connected solar power plant by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) under RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) mode.
What do you think of this green initiative? We hope that other institutes soon follow suit and embrace renewable sources of energy as well.