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Maharashtra government looks to the sun to save 500 MW a year

Rooftop solar projects for captive power consumption in government buildings and schools; making solar water geysers mandatory for buildings to get permissions, installing energy-saving LED lights in homes and solar-powered water supply schemes.

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Rooftop solar projects for captive power consumption in government buildings and schools, making solar water geysers mandatory for buildings to get permissions, installing energy-saving LED lights at homes and solar-powered water supply schemes. These are some of the features of the state's proposed power conservation policy.

Power minister Chandrashekhar Bavankule told dna that they would table this policy before the state cabinet soon. "We plan to save at least 500 MW power through energy conservation measures," he said.

"It will be mandatory for buildings in any urban area to install solar-powered water geysers in order to get completion certificates from municipal bodies. Geysers consume a lot of electricity, so these measures are necessary," said Bavankule, adding that the policy would promote off-grid rooftop solar panels in all government buildings, schools and co-operative societies.

"This power can be used for captive consumption and in case the need arises, they can draw more electricity from the state grid," he said, adding that the Saibaba temple in Shirdi had installed a solar steam cooking system for preparation of food for devotees.

Private contractors can install LED lights at homes and recover money on instalments based on the energy costs saved by these consumers, said Bavankule. Similarly, solar-powered air-conditioners could also be installed. This would serve the purpose of saving electricity while not burdening the consumer, he noted, adding that LED lights conserved more power than conventional filament bulbs or CFLs.

On generation front...
Meanwhile, the state government has also set an ambitious target to generate 14,400 MW from non-conventional energy sources in its new renewable energy policy. This will be a manifold increase from the 2,500 MW renewable energy target in the previous policy, which was approved in 2008.

Of the 14,400 MW target, about 7,500 MW is expected to come in from the solar sector, while energy and bagasse-based co-generation will contribute 5,000 MW and 1,000 MW, respectively. Small hydro-power projects, which have a capacity of 5 MW and less, will make up for 400 MW. Another 300 MW is proposed to be generated from industrial waste and 200 MW from biomass.

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