Monday, January 27, 2014: Tripura is all set to go the solar way. The ambitious plan of the state government to make Agartala a solar city successfully took its first step on Friday with the announcement of a 45KW solar power plant. This solar photovoltaic power plant will be used for a multi-stories market complex.
According to a TOI report, Babul Chakraborty, joint director, Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) said that this plant will have the capacity to meet the electricity requirements of the newly-built modern retail market near Ujjayanta State Museum. He said, “Our aim is not to depend on conventional energy for the market’s power requirements unless there is any major mishap in the plant. A master project of Rs 452.32 has been drawn for Agartala to turn it into a solar city with the installation of solar hot water systems in all the hotels, nursing homes, school hostels, government guest houses, bungalows, hospitals, shopping complexes and VIP complex but we are waiting for the necessary funds from the Centre.”
Chakraborty was confident that if the funds are made available on time, Agartala could emerge as the first solar city in Northeast India within a few years. He informed that the state authority has already been providing solar power to as many as 100 remote villages across Tripura under the Remote Village Electrification (RVE) scheme during the current fiscal. The solar plant was installed with an investment of Rs 15 million. Chakraborty asserted that the solar city project being implemented in Agartala aims to reduce the dependency on conventional energy by around 10 per cent.
