In an effort to increase the participation of Diamond City, (Surat) residents in installing rooftop solar plants, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has appointed 22 brand ambassadors from the city who speak 22 languages. The ambassadors include religious, political and business leaders.
Audio-video visual clips of the solar ambassadors, urging the residents to register for the solar rooftop plants, have been made viral on the social media sites including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.
The ambassadors include BJP MLA from Limbayat, Sangeeta Paatil, Mayor Ashmita Shiroya, chairman of Transportation committee, Anil Goplani to name a few. Close to 1,266 residents in the city have applied for rooftop solar plant with combined capacity of 3,630 kilowatt.
Official sources notified that the applications have sent to Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA). Around 400 registrations have been approved, while the rest are under consideration.
Till September-end, only 107 residents had applied for rooftop solar plant in the city. However, there has been a surge in the interest among citizens and property owners to install 1 KW plant of late.
The state government has set a target of installing 1 lakh solar power plants in first phase of the project to reduce the dependency on conventional electricity. Gujarat Energy Development Agency’s (GEDA) is the nodal agency for the project.
By Baishakhi Dutta
