DISTRIBUTED SOLAR
DISTRIBUTED SOLAR
Pune University to give Rs 5 lakh to colleges to adopt solar energy
Taking up its mission for green energy a step further, the
Savitribai Phule Pune University( SPPU) will now incentivise colleges for installing solar panels. To enable this, the university administration recently passed a decision to include solar panel installation in the list of approved expenses under the its Quality Improvement Programme( QIP).
Wasudeo Gade, Vice Chancellor, Pune University
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“ Under the QIP, we give a fund of Rs 5 lakh from the university once in two years to attached colleges for various proposals for their development, that until now included building expenses, buying sports equipment, library, equipments for laboratory and computers. However, from this year, installation of solar panels unit is also eligible for this scheme. Those colleges who wish to install solar panels can send their proposals under QIP for funding. This decision has been taken to reiterate the university’ s commitment towards propagating green energy initiatives and to encourage our affiliated colleges in the same direction,”
ccording to a circular issued in this regard, colleges wishing to avail of this fund will have to send proposals online between December 2 and 31 while hard copies of proposals can be sent till January 5, 2017.“ Three types of systems can be installed— grid tied photovoltaic( PV) system, off-grid system and hybrid system. While gridtied PV systems have certain advantages, like it helps save more money with net metering, the utility grid is a virtual battery that allows electricity generated to be consumed in real time. But it needs uninterrupted and reliable grid-supply and such a system is not advisable for colleges that have recurrent power outages. An off-grid system is the obvious solution where grid is not available and it leads to energy self-sufficiency, but they require battery storage and this is an expensive and complicated job. Hybrid systems combine the best of the other two systems and are also less expensive,” said an official.
Source: IE
Harish Hande seeks decentralisation of solar power production
T he man who has taken solar lights and other solar light-based appliances to inaccessible areas of the country pushed for decentralising solar power production to prevent transmission and distribution losses. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a workshop on‘ Emerging Solar PV Technology Applications for Academics’ here on Saturday, Chairman of SELCO-India H. Harish Hande said big solar power plants lead to conflict with land and water and there would be transmission and distribution loss. It’ s better to decentralise solar power production and have units at each house / building to meet the power requirement.
Lack of human resource was acting as a bottleneck in scaling up production of solar power, which was presently as low as 5 per cent in the country. He said the curriculum in the Industrial Training Institutes( ITIs) should be remodelled to include people who can manage solar power devices and also those who can bring out innovations. These personnel need financial support of banks to become entrepreneurs, he said. He urged academic institutions to innovate products for those in rural areas, such as a solar-powered floor mill and solar powered X-ray machines, which will bring about big changes.
Problems at the grassroots should be addressed by the universities, he said. Earlier, Mr. Hande inaugurated the seminar that was jointly organised by the Mangalore University and IIT Bombaybased kWatt Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Chairman of kWatt Technologies Chetan Singh Solanki said the company has been, for the last two years, involved in the Central government programmes to provide solar lamps in one million houses in tribal and educationally backward areas in the country. They have covered 10,900 villages and reached out to nearly one million children, he said.
Source: TH
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EQ December 2016 www. EQMagPro. com