Project “Solar City” kicks off Amritsar

The Punjab government has begun the first phase of the project to transform Amritsar into a solar city in an effort to reduce the dependency on expensive conventional power sources and advance solar energy in the region. According to M P Singh, director of the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), 190 government buildings will have solar roofing installed with a total capacity of 2.33 MW after a thorough inspection was carried out with the aid of drones. Rooftop solar systems will be installed in 74 buildings during phase-I of the project, for which the bidding procedure has already begun. Along with the Amritsar Smart City Portal and the Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) portal, the Punjab Department of New and Renewable Energy Sources unveiled the decision support tool (DST). To assure the promotion of energy efficiency in industries like building, industry, municipalities, agriculture, and transport, a state energy action plan was also launched. The goal of the energy action plan is to help the state departments implement the most long-term, inter- sectoral, and sustainable renewable energy strategy possible. According to A Venu Prasad, additional chief secretary for the department of renewable energy sources, the state energy action plan will aid in achieving the objectives of net zero emissions in many sectors. He urged all departments to step up and install solar panels on their office buildings in order to decarbonise the power sector and lower their power consumption costs by 25% to 30%. He stressed the importance of accelerating the implementation of the action plan and conducting quarterly progress reviews. In order to implement the IGEN Access to Energy initiative, which is supported by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, PEDA has also inked an agreement with GIZ, a global company controlled by the German government.