India’s largest container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) will now harness solar energy and reduce its dependency on conventional electricity from the grid. JNPT is installing solar power plant on several rooftops in its township and commercial premises, said a release.

Rooftop solar plants allows the use of roof of buildings, an area which is otherwise not usable, for sustainable energy generation also ensuring financial savings.

With this new initiative, JNPT expects to get a payback on its investment on rooftop solar within 2.5 years. At present, it pays a high cost of grid electricity of around Rs 14 per unit. This 822 KW peak of solar rooftop capacity is being installed at an expense of Rs 4.5 crore, supported by a 15 per cent subsidy from Solar Energy Corporation of India (part of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy).

The project, which will generate 822 kilowatt power at peak performance, once commissioned, will generate around 9.9 lakh units of electricity. This will result in saving of about Rs.1.08 crore of electricity expense for JNPT in the first year. Out of this, 411 KW peak power is commissioned at rooftop solar installation at JNPT premises -- in hospital, schools and port user building.

The 234 kilowatt generated from rooftop solar installation at hospital has capacity of 25,350 kilowatt hour per month and is contributing 80 per cent of approximate present consumption, added the release.

The total 411 kilowatt peak will generate around 4.95 lakh units of electricity in first year contributing to 40 per cent of approximate present consumption of these four premises, thereby saving around Rs 0.54 crore of electricity expense for JNPT in the first year.

The move will contribute towards the Centre’s initiative to promote solar energy in our country and will contribute to the government’s ambitious target of having 1,00,000 megawatt of solar capacity installed in India by 2022.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW