PMC Gets Rooftop Solar Power Setup on 34 Buildings

With the new solar systems, the civic body expects to save Rs 1 crore per annum on electricity bills.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) now has a rooftop solar system on 34 of the municipal properties in the city.

The capacity of these rooftop systems range anywhere between 100 kW and 500 kW and cumulatively provide a solar generation capacity of 1.2 MW.

The corporation has set forth a target of generating 1 MW of solar power from the rooftop systems atop its buildings in the city during the fiscal year of 2018-19. And according to sources, 750 kW of power from the systems has already been sourced with the generation of the remaining 350 kW solar power expected to start soon.

The PMC has not had to provide any capital for setting up of the plants which have been built under the RESCO mode. The solar power developers own the solar systems for which the land has been provided by the municipal corporation. The Pune MC which spends Rs 4 crore per annum on electricity bills will buy the power from the SPDs at a fixed rate of Rs 3.63 per unit.

With the new solar systems, the civic body expects to save Rs 1 crore per annum on electricity bills.

The initiative has been taken with the assistance of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and executed as a joint initiative between the PMC and SPDs for a period of 25 years, during which the SPD will be responsible for the comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) of the plants.