Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has chalked out plans to generate solar energy to meet growing energy demands of the city. Capacity solar power project 100 KV already started at a school in Jakkampudi housing complex.
The Corporation will deal with similar projects at its registered office, boardroom, head water works, sewage treatment plants and Ramalingeswara in Ajitsingh Nagar Nagar.
Municipal Commissioner C. Hari Kiran said it is estimated that these projects would cost Rs. 5 million rupees. Of this amount, Rs.1.5 crore would grant from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Union. Rest of Rs. 3.5 million rupees would have to be borne by the civic body.
With the financial crisis grappling the VMC, is not in a position on the shoulder of that amount. Thus, there are plans underway to rope in some private agencies to finance the projects. International agencies such as KFW, CDIA, and ICLE have already shown interest in installing solar systems. Agencies could recoup their investment through energy savings made by the Corporation, the Municipal Commissioner said.
The Commissioner also said that plans were underway to use LED lights for street lighting in the city, adding that solar systems are also used to supply power to the system signaling traffic.
The Corporation has been making attempts to install solar street lights from 2011. It has installed three solar lights in local park Gandhi, Rajiv near Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) on an experimental basis. Plans were made to switch to solar street lighting in the slums as part of the Solar City project. The city is one among the 60 cities that were selected for the project.
Officials expect the solar street lighting would be real estate before January 2012. On a trial basis, the streetlights were planned in the mountainous areas of a city to become solar streetlights. Officials said that after the funds to the tune of around Rs. 30-35 crore per year would be allocated for the purpose and the overall budget could go up to Rs. 139 million rupees. The city has more than 27,000 tube lights and VMC would be able to save energy, if all lighting is based on solar energy.
LED Street in Vijayawada, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, lights generate solar energy to meet growing energy demands of the city, and Ramalingeswara Ajitsingh Nagar Nagar, KFW, CDIA, ICLE, lights to LED street lighting in the city vijayawada
