The Goa government has outlined a two-year plan to transform Panaji into a fully solar-powered city. The initiative will focus on installing rooftop solar power plants and raising public awareness about the clean energy resource.
The state government will formulate a Development of City Renewable Energy Action Plan. The Indo-German Energy Programme -Access to Energy in Rural Areas (or IGEN-Access II), implemented by MNRE, will also provide technical assistance for the project.
Currently, 81 housing complexes in Panaji have been selected for the adoption of photovoltaic technology. Solar energy will be harnessed across all consumer segments to meet the rising electricity demand.
To assess the rooftop solar potential, the state government employed Sun Analyzer Software for satellite mapping of the capital city. Based on the data, Panaji has been divided into various zones, and buildings in each zone have been categorized as residential, commercial, industrial, or government.
The state is aiming to develop a solar rooftop capacity of 34.5 MW. Goa is also planning to add another 74MW through solar parks or innovative solar applications.
The state government will also set up a ‘Panaji Renewable Energy City’ dashboard to provide real-time updates about the capacity added, implementation landmarks, planned activities, and milestones. Panaji will also focus on other areas such as transitioning all passenger transport to 100% electric vehicles, implementing energy efficiency measures, and establishing off-grid EV charging stations with a total capacity of 34.5MW.
Currently, the total solar power capacity of the capital city is 0.5 MW. To achieve its renewable energy target the state government is also setting up one-of-its-kind solar trees in the capital city.
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Resource: The Times of India
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