Adding to a long list of educational institutes that have turned to solar, Savitribai Phule Pune University recently announced that it will now use solar to cut down power costs.

Looking towards a smarter and sustainable future, Savitribai Phule Pune University has entered a power purchase agreement (PPA) with rooftop solar project developer, Cleanmax Solar, to develop rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) projects atop 14 buildings in the campus.

The plan is to develop rooftop solar PV projects aggregating 602 kW. This will result in the university saving ₹3.55 million (~$493,450) per annum in power bills.

The initiative is a part of the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited’s (PSCDCL) plan to develop Pune into a Smart City in the coming years. The project is expected to generate 8,90,000 kWh of clean energy annually, thereby abating 731 tons of CO₂ emission per annum for the next 25 years. This emissions reduction is equivalent to planting 17,420 fully grown trees.

With this, Savitrabai Phule Pune University has joined a number of educational institutions that are turning to solar as it is an economical source of electricity and also helps curb toxic carbon emissions. Of late, a number of educational centers across the country have adopted cost-effective rooftop solar as a way to build a sustainable future.

In July 2018, Amity University installed rooftop solar PV projects aggregating 1.8 MW across three campuses.

In May 2018, IIT Kharagpur had invited expression of interest to develop 5.5 MW of solar projects.

Recently, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Uttarakhand’s Pantnagar town tendered a 5 MW grid-connected rooftop solar PV project.

In June 2017, Jamia Millia Islamia, a reputed government college, tendered a 2.25 MW (AC) solar PV project to be developed under a RESCO model at Jamia Millia Islamia University premises in Delhi.

In the same month, Mercom also reported that Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL), a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Rajasthan, tendered 950 kW of grid-connected rooftop solar to be developed on top of buildings owned by Rajasthan University in Jaipur.

In July 2017, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) tendered an 8 MW (DC) grid-connected rooftop solar PV project on behalf of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.