Soon, all government-run schools in Haryana will have access to an uninterrupted power supply.

Taking a step forward toward promoting decentralized renewable power, the state has planned to install solar hybrid systems in all government schools of the state in a phased manner.

“In the first phase, the hybrid solar projects would be installed in 3,222 senior secondary and high schools. It would cost ₹2.36 billion (~$36.82 million),” news agency Press Trust of India quoted State Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma as saying.

A senior Haryana government official told Mercom, “Haryana government’s UTKARSH Society will be the nodal agency for implementation of this project.” The project is one of the largest learning networks in Asia which aims to provide quality education through satellites.

The state government also plans to install solar hybrid systems in all schools of Haryana in the coming three years, the official added.

Hybrid solar systems would have a battery bank of 7.2 VAh/Wp. Thirty percent of the project cost will be provided by the Center on a reimbursement-basis.

“This assistance would help fulfil the gap of the additional burden of ₹1.1 billion (~$17.16 million) to provide the battery bank,” Sharma added.

Moreover, any amount which is left over after the installation of hybrid solar systems and receipt of central financial assistance would be used for operation and maintenance, upgrades, and replacement of consumer items (like batteries). This would be done keeping in view that the solar panel would have a warranty period of 25 years and the Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) and batteries would have a warranty of five years after successful commissioning, added Sharma.

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government has turned towards decentralized solar to fulfil power demand in the state. Haryana doesn’t have large tracts of unutilized land to support the development of massive utility-scale projects. Decentralized solar can be a game changer. Recently, the Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) tendered over 1 MW of off-grid solar projects for health centers across the state.