Delhi govt to install Rs 8 crore solar plant along Wazirabad drain

The Delhi government will install a 20 megawatt (MW) ground-based solar plant along the supplementary drain in Wazirabad at a cost of Rs 8 crore. The government

The Delhi government will install a 20 megawatt (MW) ground-based solar plant along the supplementary drain in Wazirabad at a cost of Rs 8 crore. The government faces the target of generating 186 MW of solar power in the Capital by next year.

Solar panels installed in Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali/HT FILE)

The government will build a solar plant along 15 kilometres of the drain, the second most important one in the city after the Najafgarh drain. It will come up on the right bank of the drain side facing south starting from Mori Gate to Wazirabad.

The project takes a leaf out of the Narmada’s canal-top solar project by then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and a government team was sent to Gujarat to learn the technical know-how. “It has been decided that the solar panels will be installed on the bank of the supplementary drain instead on top of it. This is because our drain is much wider than the ones at Gujarat and it would not only be expensive, but its maintenance would also be a big issue,” said a government official.

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre (EERM) conducted the feasibility study for the project. The flood and irrigation department maintains the 35-km long drain.

At present, Delhi has an installed capacity to generate 32 MW solar power. The solar policy mandates that the city should have 85-MW capacity by December 2016.

Also, in the pipeline is the plan to utilise the Barapullah Elevated Corridor to generate green energy.

“At present, a feasibility study is underway. On that, we aim to install about 15-20 MW of solar plants,” an official said. The plan is to put solar photo voltaic panels along the raised boundary of the corridor, the official added.