Thiruvananthapuram: The city corporation plans to set up solar panel roofs on various government institutions in the city as part of the smart city project.
A total of 28 institutions have been identified for the purpose and a meeting of experts will be held on August 14 to take further action.
The list of institutions was prepared after the smart city project management consultant, IPE Global Private Limited, visited 57 institutions. Initially, the plan was to turn three campuses completely sustainable. One was the corporation main office, which already has a solar roof. However, the power generated is not used in the building, but fed back to the grid which helps reduce the bills. No batteries have been installed in the corporation office to help it use the power. Earlier, the mayor had told DC that this was more profitable, especially as batteries don’t last long enough and will have to be replaced.
The problem is the state won’t be able to pay much for the power that is fed back to the grid once many buildings start generating power. Therefore, the government has reduced the amount per unit which is paid back in other cities.
The meeting will discuss whether the 28 institutions should set up batteries or feed power back to the grid.
