Indore: DAVV’s rooftop solar plant to be biggest in city
Work to install solar panels beings on UTD premises
Indore: Rooftop solar plant coming up on Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV)’s UTD campus is going to be the biggest rooftop plant in the city.
“The work of installing the solar panels on rooftop of teaching departments/institute has begun,” said Prof Deepak Mehta, incharge of UTD campus.
The solar panels will be installed on rooftops of Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Institute of Management Studies (IMS), Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), School of Commerce, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, School of Computer Science etc.
While the work is in progress at IET, IMS and EMRC, the solar panels have been sent to other departments for installation.
“A total of 670 KW power plant is to be installed,” said Prof SP Singh, head, School of Energy and Environmental Studies (EMRC).
Nearly six years after it lost a grant of Rs 2 crore meant for installing photovoltaic system, DAVV with help from Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited is setting up photovoltaic system on UTD campus. The project cost would be borne by Urja Vikas Nigam or its partner company Mundra. The power generated from solar plant would cost Rs 1.91 per unit to university, which it will pay to Mundra company.
Special meters will be installed on UTD campus, which will separately measure power drawn from west discom and from solar plant.
Accordingly, the university will pay the bills.
In 2011 and 2012, the UGC had approved a grant of Rs 2 crore in two different installments for installing photovoltaic systems on its UTD campus but grants could not be utilised and it lapsed in 2013. After that, the university announced to set up 1 MW solar plant in 2017 but it turned out to be an eyewash.
BENEFIT IN NAAC ASSESSMENT: The university wants solar power plant to be set up before November 21 so that it could help in gaining good score from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), a statutory body of UGC, which awards grades to institutions of higher learning. The NAAC awards points to universities for best practices also and installation of power plants falls in that category.
Source: freepressjournal.in
