Working on solar power at Re 1 per unit: Kejriwal
New Delhi, Aug 4 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said his government is working on a new model to provide solar power to the city at Re 1 per unit.
Kejriwal was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the city's first large-scale residential solar power plant on the rooftop of five residential societies in south-west Delhi's Dwarka having a capacity of 416.5 KW.
The five residential societies included Ispat CGHS, Saksham Apartments, Supriya Apartments, Balaji Apartments and Navratan Apartments. The power from the new plants would be available at Rs 2.64 per unit.
"In the coming months, we will try to provide power at Re 1 to the people as our Power Minister Satyendar Jain is working on a new solar power model," Kejriwal said.
"The plant was set up without any additional land being used. This clean energy will replace over 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the plant," Kejriwal said.
Each year, over 4.8 lakhs units of power will be generated through the plant.
The solar power plants are being set up by Delhi-based residential solar power projects developer Oakridge Energy, the leading rooftop solar developer in north India with a special focus on institutions, residential societies and individual homes.
The plants will be set up under the power purchase agreement (PPA) mode which would amount to no upfront investment from the residents of Dwarka sector as they will only be paying for the power produced at tariffs as low as Rs 4.5/kWh, a statement said.
Further, the installations will be eligible for an additional incentive of Rs 2/kWh of generation-based incentive from the Delhi government, it added.
"The plants will generate over 4.8 lakh units of power each year or over 1.2 crore over 25 years. At present tariff levels, it results in saving of about Rs 2 crore to the societies at current tariff slabs, with no upfront payment required from their side," said Oakridge Energy CEO Shravan Sampath, adding the entire investment would be footed by the company which would generate revenue by charging the societies for the power generated.
Power Minister Jain said the main reason why many people do not opt for solar plants was the cost of installation, which was very high.
"The government, therefore, has initiated this scheme where people do not have to pay for installation," he said.
Kejriwal said it was the first time that solar plants were being installed on such a grand scale. He welcomed private enterprises to come forward and work with his government to step up solar power generation and reduce dependence on conventional means.
The Chief Minister also said the power tariffs in Delhi were lesser than Mumbai.
"If you compare power tariff with other states, 400 units of power in Delhi would cost around Rs 1,200 and in Mumbai, it would cost Rs 4,000. We are able to give uninterrupted power supply, with some exceptions, as promised during elections," he said.
The AAP chief further added that the party will hold meetings with all the Residents Welfare Associations (RWA) across the national capital in the upcoming months on starting similar initiatives.
The Delhi Government is aiming to generate 1,000 MW by 2020 and 2,000 MW by 2025 through rooftop solar installation.
In May, Kejriwal inaugurated the city's first rooftop solar power plant, having a capacity of 140-KW, at IP Extension's Milan Colony, making it the first group housing society in the national capital to have its own solar power plant.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Govt floats tender for new Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg
Mumbai (PTI): In the wake of collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, the Maharashtra government has issued a tender for the construction of a new 60-foot-tall statue there, nearly twice the size of the previous one, officials said on Wednesday.
The statue will be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore and the government has set a six-month timeframe for the completion of the work, they said.
A 35-foot-tall statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district on December 4 (Navy Day) last year, collapsed on August 26 amid strong winds.
The statue's sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, was later arrested.
The government has faced flak as the opposition parties alleged the decision to install the statue in Sindhudurg was taken haphazardly, which resulted in poor quality of work.
Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) had flagged concerns over rust gathering on Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and suggested permanent measures in a letter sent to a Naval official just six days before the structure collapsed.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said the statue was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.
He claimed winds were blowing at 45 km per hour when the statue collapsed.
A tender has been issued for the construction of a new statue and its height would be 60 feet, a PWD official said.
"The total cost would now be Rs 20 crore, including its engineering, installation and maintenance. The government has given six months to complete the work. The height of the statue would be 60 feet," the official said.
