After the first-solar village of Modhera in Gujarat, it’s time for the Sun Temple in Odisha to be fully illuminated by solar power. The project is expected to be completed by the next financial year. Not only the Sun Temple but the whole of Konark city will be lit up by solar power. The Central Government launched a scheme for the solarisation of the 13th-century shrine and the town two years ago in 2020. The scheme was conceptualized with the objective to take PM Narendra Modi’s vision of solarization forward and raise awareness about solar power. The historical Sun temple town of Konark will be developed as ‘Surya Nagri’, conveying the message of synergy between the adoption of solar energy in the modern world and the ancient Sun Temple. This scheme also laid importance on the development of grid-connected solar projects and various other solar applications like solar trees, solar drinking water kiosks, and off-grid solar power plants with battery storage.
The Grid Corporation of Odisha signed a Power Purchase Agreement with Konark Suryanagri Pvt Ltd for the procurement of 10 MW Solar Power for the project. As per the agreement, solar power will be available for 25 years from the financial year 2023-24 at a tariff of Rs 2.77 per kWh. GRIDCO has reached a renewable power capacity of 2,420 MW including 1,941 MW from solar power. This solar plant project will be set up at Tentulipada under Junagarh block in Kalahandi district with an investment of Rs 45 crore. Upgradation of the temple entrance, landscaping and the development of pedestrian areas, parking, and revamping of the open-air theatre are some of the development work that is slated to be undertaken. A permanent weather monitoring station may be installed at the site to capture real-time data.
The solar power generated from the project will be connected to the state grid from where the power will be supplied to the entire Konark city. It is expected that the generated power will be sufficient for the total power consumption of Konark city. The Odisha government has also earmarked Rs 150 crore for the development of the area under the Konark Heritage Development Project.
Google+
Sneha Shah
I am Sneha, the Editor-in-chief for the Blog. We would be glad to receive suggestions, inputs & comments on GWI from you guys to keep it going! You can contact me for consultancy/trade inquires by writing an email to greensneha@yahoo.in
