The union government has announced that all of the Jawahar Navoday Vidyalaya schools across the country will soon have rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with a total installed capacity of 18.78 MW to fulfill their power needs. A total of 264 Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas are set to benefit from the deployment of rooftop solar systems.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Upendra Kushwaha, Minister of State, Human Resource Department said, “Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has allocated India SME Technology Services Limited (ISTSL) as the implementing expert for facilitating grid-connected solar rooftop program in 264 Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas.”

“The power unit generation through these grid-connected rooftop PV solar panels is expected to be around 18.78 MW,” Kushwaha added.

The projects will be implemented under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) mode.

Azure Power an independent solar power producer, announced in January that it would develop a total of 11.35 MW of grid-connected rooftop PV projects for 152 Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Kerala.

Mercom also reported in September 2017 that India SME Technology Services Ltd (ISTSL) had tendered 18.78 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects on behalf of Jawahar Navoday Vidyalaya.

The deployment of rooftop solar systems in schools and educational institutions is part of an effort by the government to spur growth in the rooftop solar sector. Most educational institutions in India are dependent on the grid for their power supply, which is expensive and unreliable. These institutions have the wherewithal to bear the cost of rooftop solar systems considering the added benefit of reliable power and clean power.

Image credit: Azure Power