The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) will install rooftop solar panels at four of the city’s five electric crematoriums to reduce electricity consumption. Following a comprehensive energy survey, solar systems will be customised to meet the specific power requirements of each facility.
According to Sanjay Katiyar, the municipal corporation’s chief engineer (electrical), the city’s crematoriums, located at Shankarghat, Daraganj, Teliarganj, Phaphamau and Chhatnag, have power loads ranging from 130 to 250 kilowatts. The new rooftop solar plants are designed to generate 10 percent more capacity than current consumption levels, ensuring uninterrupted power for cremation machinery, air conditioning and lighting.
Katiyar noted that because the facilities operate primarily during daylight hours and do not perform cremations after sunset, solar energy is well-suited to meet nearly all their daytime power demands. Each of the four selected facilities handles approximately five to six cremations daily.
In addition to upgrading existing sites, the PMC plans to establish three more electric crematoriums. Chief engineer Dinesh Sachan stated that land is currently being identified for these new facilities, which will be located in the Kanhaipur area of Dhoomanganj, Arail in Naini and Jhunsi.