Public toilet blocks in Goregaon to get rooftop solar panels

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will install rooftop solar panels on street toilet blocks in the P/South ward - Goregaon area

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will install rooftop solar panels on street toilet blocks in the P/South ward - Goregaon area. The initiative is being undertaken to maximise the utility of space and clean energy.

The on-grid nature of the solar panels means the civic body does not require setting up a separate or additional distribution system. (HT PHOTO)

While the project is being organised and undertaken at the ward level, an official from the solid waste management department said it can be replicated across the city, in a phased manner. Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner in-charge of the solid waste management (SWM) department said, “This project is being implemented locally, at the ward level by the ward authorities.”

The on-grid nature of the solar panels means the civic body does not require setting up a separate or additional distribution system. A civic official from the SWM department said, “The rooftops of toilet blocks have little use or interactivity. Some of them have overhead water tanks. But most land ends up becoming storage space, or has no use at all. We can identify more such buildings across the city and implement the plan in a phased manner.” The capacity of installation will depend on the space available atop each building.

In 2019, BMC installed solar panels atop its four-storey engineers’ hub in Worli, generating 360 kilowatt-peak (kWp), to cater to the electricity demands of a part of the building, with the aim to bring down the monthly electricity bill by 30%. This was the first BMC owned building to get rooftop solar panels. BMC’s pre-pandemic plans aimed to adopt solar energy for all municipal buildings over the next few years.