In a bid to promote its target of creating 40,000MW of rooftop solar power capacity,the Union new and renewable energy ministry is roping in religious and interfaith gurus to demonstrate the virtues of green energy and set an example by ensuring that their ashrams are solar powered.
According to new and renewable energy secretary Upendra Tripathi, the gurus will act as spiritual partners of International Solar Alliance, a global grouping of over 100 ‘sunshine countries’ between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn that was launched by PM Modi at the Paris climate summit last December.
According to the government, in May, Radha Soami Dera in Amritsar became the world’s largest single rooftop solar power facility. The dera’s Rs 140 crore solar energy system, spread over more than 80 acres of rooftops, can generate an estimated 19MW of power.
Not all ashrams are as large or resourceful, but even smaller ones with a few acres of land can use practical solar energy applications. Besides, solar power projects require open spaces for making best use of photovoltaic panels, which convert sunlight into electricity.
The launch of the ‘International Interfaith Solar Alliance’ during the World Culture Festival organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living in Delhi in March is a step in this direction. The alliance pledged to cooperate among interfaith organisations globally and promote solar energy in their institutions as well as create awareness about renewable energy.
The government has set an ambitious target of creating 175GW of solar energy capacity by 2022, including 40,000 mw rooftop solar power capacity, as part of the strategy to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
By Baishakhi Dutta
