Karnataka may soon see its first solar-powered cricket stadium, with the additional chief secretary and development commissioner, Kaushik Mukherjee, hinting that such a project is under way.
Speaking at the launch of the Green Power Market Development Group by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and World Resources Institute (WRI) in the city on Wednesday, Mukherjee said, “Involving more stakeholders and educating public are necessary for the success of green power initiative. Karnataka has been the pioneer in India and Asia’s first hydroelectric power project at Shivanasamudram is an example.”
Citing the examples of Germany, he hinted that Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium may be shortlisted for it. “In Germany, Freiburg football stadium is completely solar powered and on the same lines we will have a Karnataka cricket stadium powered by solar power. Government gives an annual subsidy of $800 billion to electricity boards. Such funds should go towards installing green power generation capacities,” he said.
Currently, the state gets more than 4,000 MW of power from renewable energy. “We are considering rooftop power systems in the city where households can sell the surplus power,” said DN Narasimha Raju, principal secretary, power.
S Selvakumar, managing director, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL), highlighted that one of the issues was tight monitoring of the frequency, which is currently managed through load sharing among gas-based and hydel stations. “The proposed Green Energy Corridor by Power Grid Corporation plans to connect North and South India and could help in better stability,” he said.
Speaking at the panel discussion, Vishvanath Hiremath, member, Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, said, “Security mechanisms and payments were problems earlier. But in recent times, managing the grids and load balancing are the issues. As a regulator, we need to look into concerns of all stakeholders. We are positive in encouraging renewable energy in the state and look forward to interact with the stakeholders.”
Andrew Steer, president & CEO, World Resources Institute, Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman, CII-Godrej, L Krishnan, chairman, CII Karnataka State Council, and Soumitra Bhattacharya, vice-chairman, CII Karnataka State Council, also spoke on the occasion.
