Taking a cue from an increasing number of schools and colleges in the country that are turning to solar power, St Xavier’s High School in Mumbai has installed a 35 kW grid-connected rooftop solar project in its premises. The project has been commissioned by MYSUN, a rooftop solar solutions and services company.

The rooftop solar project will help the school save approximately ₹700,000 (~$9,726) every year on its electricity bill. The carbon emission reduced by the project is equivalent to planting 850 trees.

The extra electricity generated on weekends and school holidays will be exported back to the grid through net-metering.

“This is a remarkable achievement for all of us at St. Xavier’s High School, and I hope more schools follow the new age trend and go solar. Not just saving, the solar system will be an inspiration to our students and teachers who read and study about solar systems as a part of their curriculum. They will be able to see the system up close and we are sure will be the best ambassadors of the go green movement”, said Sharmila Sunny, Principal of St. Xavier’s High School.

Mercom recently reported that solar – not coal – is beginning to power classrooms, dormitories and canteens of multitudes of educational institutions across the country. Solar power is heating water, helping run laboratories, shining auditoriums, cooling down canteens, assisting in administrative work and illuminating street lights on school grounds. Due to surging electricity bills and the desire to protect the environment, a large number of educational institutions are turning to solar to meet their daily energy needs.

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

In May 2018, IIT Kharagpur invited an 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.

Solar initiatives undertaken by the educational institutions are setting a good example for the rest of the country. Not only will this make the country adopt a sustainable and economical source of power, it will support the overall growth trajectory of the rooftop solar sector.

In addition to individual institutions, some India’s state governments have taken the initiative to power their schools using solar energy.

Last year, The Haryana government announced it will install solar hybrid systems in all government schools of the state in a phased manner.

According to the latest quarterly report by Mercom India Research, India’s solar installations have reached 6.6 GW year-to-date with large-scale projects making up 5,382 MW and rooftop installations accounting for 1,240 MW. Rooftop installations in Q3 2018 accounted for 435 MW, which was a 5 percent increase from 415 MW installed in Q2 2018, and a 64 percent increase when compared to 265 MW installed in Q3 2017.