Kerala To Transform Thiruvananthapuram Into Largest Solar City

As solar power generation is gaining pace in the country in a quest to achieve the 2030 renewable energy targets, the Kerala state government has launched a project that is expected to transform the state capital Thiruvananthapuram into a complete and largest solar city in India. The plan is to install rooftop solar in every qualified building in the city.

Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) has organised a three-day expo to help people of Thiruvananthapuram to gain knowledge about rooftop solar and other schemes launched by the central government. The rooftop solar scheme is in place since July 2022.

Following the complete solarisation of Modhera, a heritage town in Gujarat, through a 10 MW solar power installation to make it a solar town, Thiruvananthapuram is now being viewed by the state government to be turned into the first complete solar city of India.

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ANERT CEO Narendra Nath Velluri has held that the solarisation of Thiruvananthapuram aims at sourcing all electricity needs from renewables. The city alone can produce 800 MW of solar power and the ANERT has identified about 3 lakh buildings that are suitable for rooftop solar that alone will generate about 700 MW of solar power.

The ANERT CEO said that rooftop solar is already being installed on 600 government buildings in Thiruvananthapuram. 150 rooftop solar installations are commissioned and the remaining will be done in two months.

The state government will generate about 100 MW from solar street lamps and other government institutions inThiruvananthapuram. Different banks also have stalls in the ANERT expo which will help the residents of the city to explore loan options for rooftop solar power installations. “The Kerala government is also providing incentives by citizens who opt for solar energy  by owning up to four per cent of the interest on bank loans to buy solar systems,” said Narendra Nath Velluri.

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Besides Thiruvananthapuram, the idea of the creation of solar cities is gaining momentum in India. Recently, the Punjab Government announced that the cultural city of Amritsar will be transformed into a ‘Solar City’ and the state launched its Punjab State Energy Action Plan.

The Uttar Pradesh government is also mulling to establish a solar city in Ayodhya district, covering an area of 500 acres adjacent to the banks of Saryu river.