Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir, along with all Patna government offices will get solar energy supply from 2024. The total energy requirement of the 3 spots and buildings is estimated to be around 210 MW, and the Bihar government will begin work to meet this demand through solar units by next year.
The announcement was made by Mr. Sanjeev Hans, Principal Secretary of Bihar’s energy department, at the recently held Jal Jeevan Hariyali Diwas.
Bihar government has already installed solar power plants over 2300 government buildings, while 8000 more units have been identified for solarization. Commenting on the work already done, Hans stated that solar power plants have been set up in the Kajra and Pirpainty regions of Bhagalpur city, with 400MWh and 450MWh generation capacities respectively. Further, the Kajra solar plant is equipped with a battery storage facility that can store up to 25% of the generated energy.
For the tourist spots of Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, and Rajgir, the state government aims to convert them into solar cities. Plans to set up solar units in Chaurs (lowlands) and canals in the state are also underway.
Moreover, in the next three years, the government will install 15 lakh solar lights in different panchayats of Bihar, said Mr. Mahendra Kumar, director of Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA),.
“Expanding the solar energy footprint in Bihar is a win-win situation for the state, as the sky here remains clear for about 300 days. We are moving steadily to expand our capacity,” he adds.
State Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, who was also present at the event, lauded the efforts made by the Bihar government to promote green energy usage. He also added that solar panels should be installed over school building which has high electricity demand during daytime. Moreover, floating solar plants can be set up near ponds developed by the water resource department.
“Water resources and education departments can jointly build green strategies. Both departments have ample resources and space for solar unit installations. These steps would go a long way in saving electricity produced by burning fossil fuel and also promote green sustainable energy,” the minister said.
To speed up the growth of the renewable energy sector, the Bihar government has been introducing multiple initiatives in the past years. Recently, Patna Metro announced plans to turn all metro stations into green buildings. Moreover, in 2022, Bihar announced plans to source 200 MW solar capacity from SJVN to meet its rising energy demands.
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Resource: The Times of India
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