Delhi’s Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College has decided to install a 120 kW rooftop solar system atop its building.

The college recently signed an agreement with HFM Solar for the project. The project falls under the subsidy program of the Delhi government, by the Indraprastha Gas Corporation Limited (IPGCL).

Pawan Shah, manager at IPGCL, said that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College is the first college under the new program of 35 MW for the government buildings. “We hope more colleges would join to embrace green,” he added.

In December 2018, Delhi’s Indraprastha Power Generation Co. Ltd. (IPGCL) had issued a tender for 35 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects in Delhi under the Mukhyamantri Solar Power Program.

Sadhna Sharma, the principal of the college, said, “It feels good to take this kind of initiative, particularly when the environment around us needs such sustainable measures. Delhi needs such initiatives in huge numbers,” she added.

The design work for the project is already in process, and its execution will begin from January 2020, said J.P.Singh from J.P. Consultants, the solar consultant of the project.

According to Singh, the project would generate more than 35% of the power requirements of the college and will reduce 3,600 metric tons of carbon emissions over 25 years.

The carbon reduction impact of the project during its lifetime will be equivalent to the planting of 8,400 trees, which will add to the conservation of energy and the environment.

Singh told Mercom that the yearly expense of the college for electricity is ₹2.5 million (~$35,324), but with the solar installations, the college, could save ₹900,000 (~$12,733)/year on electricity bills.

“So far, we have provided consultancy to approximately 40 projects in which 3 MW of rooftop capacity is covered. The equivalent impact of it for carbon reduction is 90,000 metric tons. In terms of trees, it is equivalent to planting 0.2 million trees. We aim to reduce 10 million carbon emission by 2023,” Singh told Mercom.

Solar initiatives undertaken by the educational institutions are setting a good example for the country. Such initiatives will not only help the country to achieve its sustainable and economical source of power, but it will also support the overall growth of the solar industry.

Previously, Mercom reported how solar – not black coal – is beginning to power classrooms, dormitories, and canteens of multitudes of educational institutions across the country.

Recently, it was reported that Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) issued a Request for Selection (RfS) for setting up 122 solar-powered smart class facilities in government high schools of Yadgir district of Karnataka.

In April 2019, Mercom reported that Akal University in Punjab’s Bhatinda announced that it had installed a 1.2 MW solar project for ₹52 million (~$0.75 million).