525 KW Solar Plant Installed in Golden Temple, Punjab

With the financial assistance of the US-based United Sikh Mission, a 525 KW capacity solar power plant was commissioned in the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple, in Amritsar, Punjab, on Tuesday.

“Our mission is to ensure clean power supply round the clock at Sri Darbar Sahib, saving 33 per cent of its annual electricity bill,” United Sikh Mission President Rashpal Singh Dhindsa told the media here.

He said this was an effort towards sustainability and reducing global warming that would help save 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (C02) emission. The Golden Temple work was completed in five months.

Expressing gratitude to the United Sikh Mission, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Bibi Jagir Kaur said that a 78 KW solar power plant would be installed soon in Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh and 700 KW in Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Sahib.

Noting that the monthly electricity budget of Darbar Sahib is around Rs 50-60 lakh, she urged the global Sikh community to contribute towards the initiative of empowering Darbar Sahib with renewable energy.

Earlier this month, the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) invited applications from interested farmers for setting up solar PV power plants of individual capacity 1, 1.5 or 2 MW in Punjab under the PM-KUSUM Scheme for sale of power to Punjab State Power Cooperation Limited (PSPCL). The total aggregate capacity of solar power plants to be set up in the state is 220 MW.

Prior to that, PEDA released an e-tender in May for 5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV plants on government buildings anywhere in Chandigarh and the state of Punjab. The scope of work included the approval of rates for design, engineering, supply, installation, commissioning, and testing along with the maintenance for 5 coming years of the estimated capacity of 5 MW rooftop solar PV plants.

Additionally, in February, under its ‘Har Ghar Paani, har Ghar Safai’ mission, the Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department set up the first of many planned solar-based water supply projects at Jagrawan-Muradpur and Talwara villages of the Jalandhar district. The projects involve installation of 150-metre deep tube-wells, with tanks of capacity 25,000 litres that use electricity produced from solar to provide piped water supply to households in these villages.