The solar PV power plant established at the Bharathidasan University will start generating power within a few days, according to its Vice-Chancellor V.M. Muthukumar.Inaugurating a two-day international conference on Microalgal and Cyanobacterial Biotechnology organised by the National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria, Bharathidasan University, he said that a 500-kWp Ground Mounted Grid Interactive Solar PV Power Plant was ready to start production. All mandatory clearances had been obtained for generating power.
It would be an important milestone in the history of the university. It was aimed at tapping the natural energy sources.Stressing the importance of furthering scientific research, Mr. Muthukumar said that the change in lifestyle had posed a new danger to the humankind. The number of persons affected with the lifestyle diseases was on the rise. It had to be fought with new vigour.Similarly, global warming continued to pose danger to the wellbeing of people across the world. Hence, the scientific community had a greater role to play on finding solutions to the issues. The research and scientific conferences should serve for the betterment of society.
T. Madan Mohan, Advisor, Department of Bio Technology, said that there was a need to create an incubation centre for scientists from different institutes to share their research ideas. The DBT had been funding generously for basic and value added research with innovative ideas.The scientific community should make use of the opportunity to tap resources to design new products with innovative concepts.The National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria (NFMC) was used as a cyanobacterial bioinformatics research centre as well. The scientific community should work at an accelerated pace to cope up with more trendy research developments and happening around the world.
L. Uma, Director, NFMC, Seetharaman Vaidyanathan, Senior Lecturer, Chemical Engineering, the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, T. Arumugam, vice-president, Pioneer Jellica India, and A. Mercy Pushpalata, Principal, Lady Doak College, Madurai, spoke.