Thursday, July 25, 2013: A report called ‘Rooftop Revolutions’ published by NGO Greenpeace revealed that over 2500 MW of electricity can be generated by using only 4.42 per cent of the total rooftop space available in New Delhi. The report states that this could fulfil Delhi’s rising power demand.
At present, Delhi’s gas and coal-based power plants have the capacity to produce 1,345 MW of electricity. This is very less as compared to the daily electricity demand of the city that ranges between 4,800 MW to 5,500 MW.
Moreover, the report cites that the price per unit of electricity generated by using solar power has reduced to half due to the introduction of modern technologies and initiatives taken by the key players in this field. This has made solar power quite affordable. The power generated will help in preventing the collapse of Delhi’s electricity grid infrastructure. A production of 2GW of power through rooftop solar photo voltaic systems will be sufficient to combat this crisis. This project will also help in generating 62,000 full-time jobs.
According to Anand Prabhu Pathanjali, energy campaigner for Greenpeace India, “Rooftop revolution is not just a report but a vision to realise Delhi as a green capital powered by clean and sustainable sources of energy like solar. What is required is political intent to convert this vision into a reality.”
