Plan to install solar plants of up to 1 Mega Watt capacity

In a landmark move, North Delhi Power Ltd (NDPL) and Tata BP Solar have joined hands to set up solar power plants in Delhi including rooftop solar plants which will be connected to the electricity grid. This will consist of array of PV (photovoltaic) modules which will absorb sun light and convert it into electricity. The electricity, generated on rooftops, can be either consumed directly by the owner of the rooftop or exported into the grid and also sold to NDPL.

Once operational these plants will not only augment power supply for NDPL consumers but will also be a source of income for them.

NDPL has already set up two such solar plants of 4 KW and 15 KW at its corporate office in Hudson Lines and at its training centre in Rohini. Now NDPL proposes to set up a 25KW solar plant at the premises of DERC. At a presentation by the alliance of NDPL and Tata BP Solar yesterday (2nd July 2009), the DERC was enthused with the idea of roof top installation of this green power which will turn the electricity consumers as producers of electricity.

“In NDPL’s climate change and sustainability strategy, Sun occupies centre stage being the original source of all energy. Solar power is one of the most suitable and feasible source of power from the perspective of cost, scalability, environment and security of source. The challenge is to make this source of power economically viable and I am sure that with Government’s support and encouragement in the initial years and, with volumes picking up, solar technology will become more competitive with grid power” said Sunil Wadhwa, CEO & Executive Director, NDPL.

If only 20,000 consumers were to come forward producing 5 KW each, NDPL would manage to generate 100 MW of Solar Power by the end of this financial year. This success of this initiative would however depend on some initial capital support from the government to make solar power generation affordable for the consumers, Mr. Wadhwa added.

Apart from the consumers’ roof top initiative, NDPL is also going ahead with the setting up of a 1 Mega Watt Solar Plant using the roof top of its central stores at Keshav Puram in North Delhi.

The proposal to set up solar power plants in Delhi is also in line with the Delhi Government’s Climate Change Agenda 2009 -2012 for Delhi.

“We are excited with the prospects of working with NDPL and the opportunity it opens up for partnering in Delhi’s drive towards sustainable energy”, said K Subramanya, CEO, Tata BP Solar.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had also recently launched schemes to promote and encourage rooftop grid-connect policy for solar power. The National Solar Mission set up as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) last year, is also reported to be targeting 20000 Megawatts from solar power by 2020.

About Solar Power

Solar power holds great potential to help augment India’s energy security and fight climate change and Global Warming. India receives abundant sunshine throughout the country around the year which can be converted into useable electric power. This power can be used in the decentralised mode to generate power at the level of individual households in cities as well as in villages and to generate bulk power in Megawatts size. Solar power is clean and green and once the plant is set up its running cost is almost zero since sunlight, which is the main ingredient, is free of cost.

The concept of rooftop grid-connect solar power empowers the individual consumer to start generating his own power resulting in multiple benefits like energy security by generating ones own requirement of power, exporting any surplus power to the grid and earning income for this as well as driving greater awareness for energy efficiency, energy conservation and use of renewable energy in daily life.

About NDPL

NDPL is a joint venture of Tata Power (51%) and Delhi Government (49%). It distributes power in North and North-West Delhi and serves 1 million consumers.
 
NDPL is widely acknowledged as a pioneer of distribution reforms in India and has won several national and international awards for its consumer centric practices and operational excellence. NDPL is the first utility in India to have won the coveted Edison Award in the international category for its innovative projects. NDPL is also recipient of National Award for Meritorious Performance from the President of India and the Asian Utility of the Year Award 2008 from Asian Power, Singapore.

About Tata BP Solar

Tata BP Solar, a joint venture between BP Solar (51%) and Tata Power Company (49%), is a pioneer and market leader in the Indian solar energy market, manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules and solar water heaters at its plants in Bangalore. The company caters to a wide range of domestic and commercial applications including heating and lighting of homes and streets, providing reliable energy for businesses, grid-connect solar PV plants for power generation, road safety solutions, solar power solutions for railways, banks, telecom towers, as well as pumping water for field irrigation. Tata BP Solar have installed several rooftop power plants all over India.