Soon, solar plants on roofs of govt offices, schools and colleges: Sobhandeb

State power department is keen to generate solar energy in the state by setting up solar plants on roofs of government offices, schools and colleges, state Power minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee said at Rampurhat in Birbhum on Monday.

Chatterjee visited the district to inaugurate a solar power plant at Rampurhat College on Monday. The minister also offered prayers at Tarapith during his trip. Rampurhat MLA and the state minister Asish Banerjee also accompanied Chatterjee.

While talking to the media, Chatterjee said the state government is stressing on producing solar energy. The rural electrification project is on the verge of completion.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid an emphasis on the solar energy through a project called "Aloshree" under which solar plants are being set up on the rooftops of various government offices across the state. A few months ago Chatterjee held a high-level meeting with senior officials of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development

Agency (WBREDA) and the district officials instructing them to identify the office buildings where solar panels could be installed. The state government has already given a lot of stress on renewable energy. A great deal of work has already been done by the power department to produce energy from solar power. It will not only reduce the dependency on other energy sources but will also help the government buildings to develop energy required for their own consumption.

The project aims at installing grid-connected solar system in government offices which will prove handy to preserve the natural resources.

The project would be conducted in various phases. In a major development, the canal bank solar photovoltaic (PV) project of 10 MW has come up at Haptiagachh in North Dinajpur. West Bengal is a pioneer in setting up canal bank solar PV projects in the country.

Three more solar PV projects with a capacity of 10 MW each will come up at Santaldih and Chhara in Purulia and Mejia in Bankura. The Power department has also taken up an elaborate scheme to set up 500 MW ultra mega solar parks in the districts of East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Bankura respectively.