Dhamtari To Get 1800 Solar Led Lamps For Toilets
Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency will install solar LED lamps for toilets constructed under the National Cleanliness Mission in Dhamtari district of the State. The Agency initially plans to install about 1800 solar LED lamps in the district under the Mission, officials informed. Notably, Chhattisgarh is planning to add 2640 MW of additional renewable energy capacity by financial year 2018-19, officials informed. The State currently has total renewable energy potential of 4,500 MW which includes solar (grid connected and roof top), wind biomass and small hydro. It may be recalled that there are significantly more number of villages which are to be electrified in Chhattisgarh using the off-grid (solar) mode than the grid-based (conventional power supply) mode.
As per the latest data available with the Union Ministry of Power, a total of 543 villages have to be electrified under ‘off-grid’ mode compared to 101 through the conventional power supply grid as on May 31, 2016. The State will soon also launch a ‘Solar Community Irrigation Project’ for drawing water extracted using solar pumps for supplying to the agricultural land of farmers across the State. The pipeline extension project to be executed by CREDA would be undertaken shortly, officials informed. Notably , the Central government last year had approved Raipur and Bilaspur to be developed as ‘Solar cities’ in Chhattisgarh. The State government has already commenced preparation for setting up 51,000 solar powered irrigation pumps in a span of two-and-half-years in the State.
The government has set the target of setting up 11,000 solar pumps in the current financial year till March 2017 and the rest during the next two years. This was announced in the review meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, N Baijendra Kumar in a meeting of the officials of CREDA in Raipur recently. The Systems Integrators who would establish the solar energy systems also participated in the meeting.
