Odisha Continues To Take Small Steps Towards Renewables, Adds Solar Panels in schools

The Odisha Government is making strides in the realm of solar power development that is bringing multidimensional changes in the everyday life of the people. In a fresh instance, the Chief Secretary of the state, SC Mohapatra, has unveiled a solar power system in a government high school in Ganjam district’s Narayanpatna area. There would be 535 total schools of the government in the coastal district of Ganjam that will be equipped with solar power systems by the district administration.

As per the government, this will require an investment of about Rs 9 crore. The solarisation of schools will take place in a phased manner. The district administration informs that in the first phase, the solar power systems will come up under the ‘5T Initiative’; these are the high schools where infrastructural  facilities are already done. There are 366 such high schools that have been transformed under the 5T Initiative and they will be the first to be solarized in terms of energy needs.

The district administration also informs that the solar energy generation units in the schools will deliver 2 KW and 4 KW of energy high schools depending on their size. The school students will be made aware about renewable energy sources and schools will become energy independent. The school facilities will become smart and efficient with a smart class, four lights, four fans, e-library, interactive panel, laboratory, lights in the toilets and verandah of each school shall be illuminated with solar power.

Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg praised the district administration for their efforts by saying, “The work of installation of solar panels is going on in full swing. Thirty high schools have already been covered in solar energy so far and the rest will be completed in the next three months, said Vijay Amruta Kulange, Collector Ganjam. The expenditure for the project will be met through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds of different companies and contribution of Mo Schools.”

In the recent past, the schools have increasingly become interactive due to smart classes and computer systems. This has led to higher electricity bills for the schools. The new solar energy generation units in schools will reduce the power bill loads while providing uninterrupted power supply. The Chief Secretary was also accompanied by a high level team that also visited Ganjam and Gajapati districts to inspect field level progress of many developmental projects.

The Odisha government is toiling to reach its target of installing 2200 MW of solar power in the state by the end of this year which looks ambitious. The government is also solarizing tourist spots like Konark Sun Temple and the related sites.